Embracing Fear
by Shell1331
Summary: [Crossover/AU] Even altruistic actions have consequences, and no one knows this better than Kagome. When her path crosses that of Nura Rikuo, will the irrevocably changed Kagome find happiness once again? Set after both series end (after the end of the manga in the case of Nurarihyon no Mago). [Kagome/Rikuo]
1. Prologue

Kagome clutched the Sacred Jewel in trembling hands slick with sweat.

Inuyasha nudged her gently with his elbow. "Hey, you sure about this?" he asked, his voice softer than usual.

 _No_ , Kagome thought. "Yep!" she said, forcing a smile.

He didn't look entirely convinced but simply nodded, stepping away to lean against a nearby tree and tucking his arms into the sleeves of his robe.

She looked around at the faces of her friends, all gathered to support her. Even Sesshomaru and his entourage stood a few yards away, the daiyokai affecting an air of disinterest as always.

 _You can do this, Kagome_. She shored up her mental shields as Kaede had trained her, erecting psychic walls around that which she did not wish to be seen.

Kagome took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then, she extended a tendril of her mind out to the shikon no tama.

 _"Sacred Jewel, I have a proposition for you."_

The energy that responded made Kagome shudder involuntarily. It was putrid and oily, its malevolence visible to her mind's eye. _"You have piqued my curiosity, miko. I'm listening."_

 _"I would like to make multiple wishes. You name a price, and we'll negotiate."_

 _"Hmm…"_ The mental image of a figure stroking its chin in thought appeared, and Kagome was pleased the jewel hadn't dismissed the idea entirely.

 _"How many, miko?"_

 _"Seven."_

A harsh laugh echoed in her head. _"Greedy, aren't you? No, that's too many. I will grant you four."_

 _"Five,"_ Kagome urged.

 _"Three."_

She could pick up faint hints of irritation and feared she might have pressed her luck too far. _"All right. Four, but no questions asked, no take backs."_

A brief wave a surprise flowed over the mental link they shared before it responded. _"You have an odd manner of speaking, but I will agree to your terms if you agree to mine."_

Kagome could barely breathe as she waited, her heart pounding and her chest tight with anxiety.

Finally, the shikon no tama spoke, _"First, You will return to your time, permanently, and the well will no longer function as a portal to this time. Second, your friends will lose their memories of you. They will recall only a mysterious miko from another land who journeyed with them and assisted them, but who suddenly vanished following the defeat of Naraku, never to be heard from again. Lastly…"_

Kagome swallowed hard and blinked back tears. The price was already so steep that she dreaded what was to come.

 _"I'll strengthen your miko powers."_

 _"What? Why?"_ she asked in shock.

The responding surge of malicious energy was laced with cruelty and self-satisfaction. _"Because, little miko from the future, your powers are significantly weaker in your time. You think there are no yokai because_ you _cannot sense them. But you're wrong. So I will increase your abilities, make you able to feel them, so that every hint of youki you sense, you will wonder if it is one of your long-lost comrades. Yet even if you were to find them, they won't know you, and as a miko, you will be their enemy."_

She understood now. No altruism lay behind the final stipulation in their agreement, only torment. Squashing the sadness rising within her—there would be plenty of time to mourn later—she gave her answer.

 _"I agree to the terms of our bargain."_

What felt like a smug smile came across the psychic link. _"As do I. State your wishes, miko."_

 _"First, bring Kikyo back from the dead, as a human. Second, make Inuyasha human."_

 _"Simple enough. You have two more."_

Kagome paused. One of the two was predetermined, but the other…

She thought of a little girl who'd been brought back from death twice and the stoic inu-yokai who was her unlikely savior. Kagome knew a human life was both pitifully fragile and short compared to that of a yokai, and she made her decision, hoping it would bring happiness to both parties.

 _"Make Rin an inu-yokai."_

A humorless laugh. _"Interesting choice… And for your final wish?"_

Kagome gathered all her strength within her and steeled her resolve. _"My last wish is… for the shikon no tama to disappear!"_

Instantly both Kagome and the sacred jewel felt its existence begin to wane. White-hot fury flooded down their link, the aura so powerful even as it was dying that she couldn't breathe.

 _"Damn you! Damn YOU! I curse you, Higurashi Kagome, I curse you with the lifespan of a yokai. May you watch your human friends and family die and outlive them all! Live an accursed life, miko, not human, yet not yokai."_ It cackled hysterically as it shattered and vanished.

As it disappeared, pain bloomed in Kagome's chest and darkness swallowed her momentarily before reality winked back into existence with her crumpled at the bottom of the bone-eater's well in her own time.

Suddenly, the bizarre pain in her chest was overshadowed by the crippling agony she felt psychically as her enhanced powers sensed more youki and reiki energy than her shields and training could handle. She pressed her hands to her ears and temples in a futile effort to block everything out, but it was to no avail. Utterly overwhelmed by both the pain in her chest and the psychic sensory overload, she fainted.

* * *

Not too far away from the Higurashi shrine, a young man dropped his sake and exchanged startled glances with a friend. She nodded, indicating she too had felt the sudden power surge.

They would investigate later, visiting the local shrine where an elderly man apologized for his distracted state. It seemed his granddaughter had been hospitalized days earlier and was in a coma. Though they detected reiki and some residual youki traces, they found nothing that seemed to be the source of the mysterious power surge from a few days prior.

Shortly after, they received reports that a small enclave of satori mountain yokai had been slaughtered. No one took credit for the attack, and there was little evidence other than deep gashes—presumably from some creature's claws—on all the bodies. It was technically beyond their territory, but they investigated it briefly nonetheless.

With no immediate reoccurrences or similar incidents, both were chalked up as flukes, and they would eventually forget about them.

Which would prove to be a mistake.

* * *

 **Author's note(s):** Hope y'all enjoyed the prologue! This story is both a crossover and somewhat of an AU, so I'll be playing fast and loose with aspects of both series. There **will** be changes to canon. I'll make notes as I see fit as we go along, but for now, there are a few things I'd like to give you a heads-up for.

1\. I know the jewel technically doesn't **really** grant your real wish, but for the purposes of this fiction, we'll stretch things a bit to say perhaps the jewel had hoped to obtain her soul with the fourth and what it presumed would be a selfish wish.

2\. For this AU, let us assume that Inuyasha and Kikyo never completely stopped loving one another and reached some kind of reconciliation before her death, which then of course devastated Inuyasha. Please note that any alternative pairings or things outside of canon are not a reflection of the author's beliefs or preferences, just simply the direction my muse has taken me. As she's extremely difficult to please and often difficult to locate, I find it's best not to anger her.

3\. Since the estimated timelines of the respective stories don't fit together quite as neatly as I'd like, I've shifted both slightly. I realize that were we to use publishing dates and/or in-text dates, Kagome would be much older than Rikuo. In this story, they are around the same age, roughly 23 to 24 years old. I've made Kagome one year younger than Rikuo (just in case you were wondering LOL).

4\. For at least the prologue and chapter one, the story rating will remain a T. I will be changing the rating to M at some point, likely starting around chapter two, due to some if not all of the following—(to quote the guidelines) "adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language."

Also, a special thank you to **Zeiyuu** (aka **miss-zei** ) for the encouragement to actually post this! All in favor of naming her St. Zei, say "AYE, SIR!"


	2. Chapter 1

In theory, I should've made y'all wait on chapter one...but it was finished and I'm impatient, so here you go!

Much love to **Zeiyuu** and **sanguine-fairy** for your very kind reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the prologue.

Oh, and the requisite disclaimer: As if it weren't obvious...I don't own _Inuyasha_ or _Nurarihyon no Mago_.

* * *

 _Eight years later_

The late afternoon sun streamed in the library windows as Kagome walked down the rows of bookshelves until she reached the right one. Running her finger along the spines, she found the section she was looking for and dropped her bag on the floor. She plucked a few books she definitively knew she needed and stacked them next to her bag, and then turned around to browse the other related works.

 _The Whorton Anthology of Japanese Mythology_. _Yokai Folklore_. _A History of Folklore_. _Mythological Representations in Art_.

At twenty-three, Kagome was in her final semester of college, pursing a degree in history and comparative literature, concentrating primarily on folklore and mythology worldwide. Presently, however, her library research was focused on work for an independent study. One on Japanese yokai folklore, past and present. Sometimes she wondered if she were a masochist.

As she pulled one of the books about mythology and art off the shelf, she paused, tracing her finger over the fanciful depiction of a kitsune on the cover.

Her heart ached.

 _Kami, I miss them._

Eight years had done little to erase the pain of losing her friends, but it wasn't as raw as it had been, no longer feeling like an exposed nerve.

Kagome's mind wandered, thinking back over the past few years. Once she'd come out of the coma, which had taken roughly a week, she'd quickly realized she needed more training. Anything to stem the seemingly endless tide of energies buffeting at her mind.

The shikon no tama had not deceived her in that sense—it was torture.

As for its curse… Well, not enough time had passed to know whether her lifespan was extended, but Kagome had a feeling it had been. Following her forced return to modern times, she'd done some self-inspection, mentally and physically, and had found what she supposed was the "tangible" evidence of the jewel's curse—the tiniest sliver of youki imbedded in her aura, directly above her heart. In recent years, that miniscule shard of youki had grown fractionally, but aside from random chest pains from time to time, she could only assume what it was doing to her.

Other than cursing her, that is.

Amazingly, it had gone unnoticed by the couple of aging mikos she'd gone to for training, which she figured was probably a blessing in disguise. She had no desire to attempt to explain her circumstances.

 _It's not like they would believe me anyway_. _A time-traveling girl cursed by a supernatural gemstone? Yeah, right_.

Kagome sighed and then swore under her breath. The book she'd really hoped to find, the one about the legend of the shikon no tama, was missing from the shelf. The catalog hadn't listed it as checked out, so it should have been there.

 _Guess it's on a cart somewhere for reshelving, or some asshole stuck it on a random bookcase and it hasn't been found yet…_

She slung her bag over her shoulder and picked up the rather cumbersome and unexpectedly tall stack of books, which wobbled slightly as she made her way down the aisle.

As she rounded the corner, she tripped over a lump in the aging carpet, toppling herself and the precariously balanced books. She winced as one whacked her on the head and closed her eyes momentarily, bracing for the impact with the floor.

It never came.

"Oi!"

Strong arms grabbed her, and her eyes flew open in surprise, blue eyes meeting brown.

The young man had slightly messy and strange bicolored brown and black hair, and though he initially appeared concerned, he smiled kindly when she made eye contact.

For a split second, her reiki flared, and she got the strangest double image overlaying the man in front of her, a version of him with red eyes and much longer white and black hair.

She blinked, and it was gone.

 _What the hell was that?_

"Hey, are you all right?"

She nodded, feeling her cheeks heating a little with embarrassment. "Sorry, I tripped, and one of the books hit my head and… Anyway, I'm really sorry about that!"

Once he'd ensured she was steady on her own two feet, he released her and eyed her strangely. Kagome wasn't completely sure why.

 _He probably thinks I'm a total weirdo, that's probably why._

"Seriously, I apologize for—"

He laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it! Are you sure you're okay, Miss…?"

"Oh, um, Higurashi Kagome, but um, you know, just Kagome is fine, and um, yes, thank you, I'm all right." Realizing she was rambling, she snapped her mouth shut.

The man nodded and helped her gather the books, and he even offered to help her to the circulation desk, which she declined. For some reason, his presence was doing weird things to her stomach.

"Be careful, then. I'll see you around, Kagome-chan."

The grin he gave her sent the already agitated butterflies in her stomach into a tizzy, and she could only nod mutely in response.

Thoroughly unnerved by the encounter, she checked out her books and fled to the safety of her apartment.

Later, she realized she'd never learned his name…

* * *

Nura Rikuo was restless and bored.

Or rather, he _had_ been prior to meeting one Higurashi Kagome.

A little over eleven years had passed since the defeat of Nue, and as Rikuo walked toward the subway station, he thought back to those turbulent times.

 _Those first few years were rough._

There'd been copious amounts of damage following the battle to repair, both tangible and intangible. Rikuo had missed much of the immediate aftermath, having been recovering at the Hanyō Village from his near-death experience. However, he'd gotten letters from Tsurara while there and then detailed updates once he'd returned to the Nuragumi main house in Ukiyoe Town.

Apparently someone in the clan—he suspected either Karasu Tengu or Gyūki—had some government connections and had convinced the extremely willing to oblige powers that be to label the whole ordeal a bizarrely executed terrorist attack.

 _In a way, I suppose they_ were _sort of ayakashi terrorists_.

That, combined with Kiyotsugu's efforts to counter Enchō's rumors, helped the incident become far less fascinating to the general public, and eventually it mostly faded from the collective memories of the Tokyo populace, much to Rikuo and the Nura clan's great relief.

Still, forgotten though it might have been to the average innocent bystander, nothing could erase it from the minds of those involved firsthand.

Especially Rikuo.

He'd forced himself back into a semblance of a normal routine, returning to school when he was healthy enough, managing clan business, and resuming his training, both with Itaku and on his own. Depending on the situation, he affected cheerful smiles or cool indifference, and many commented on how well he'd bounced back.

Those who were closest to him, however, knew that was far from true. After all, none of what he and his classmates had gone through was anything twelve- or thirteen-year-olds should ever have to handle, and they all bore the scars, physical and psychological.

Their traumas manifested differently, and Rikuo, plagued with grotesque nightmares, became a chronic insomniac for a couple years, sometimes going days without sleep. At one point it became so bad that Zen had even enlisted Kurotabō and Aotabō's help to forcibly pour a sleeping potion down his throat.

He snorted. _Who knew sleep deprivation caused hallucinations?_

Fortunately, the sleep aid Zen had concocted was non-habit-forming, so Rikuo had eventually agreed to taking it as needed to prevent exhaustion…and hallucinations.

 _That only happened once_ , he thought irritably, _and I'm still not convinced it wasn't too much sake or something I ate…_

Rikuo shook himself mentally and focused on taking the right train to the station nearest his house. Though he was no longer too tormented by the incidents at Shibuya to avoid the metro altogether, it still was not his favorite of places and he preferred to limit his time in the vicinity as much as possible. Torii and Maki had ceased using it entirely, though he could hardly blame them.

The thought of Torii made him smile slightly. _Natsumi_ , he reminded himself. She'd requested he use her first name since she'd started dating Kurotabō a few years back— _wait, aren't they getting married soon?_ —and now spent more time at the main house. Everyone in the Nura clan had been shocked, not so much at Natsumi's feelings, but rather at Kuro's returning them. Kuro probably wished they'd maintained their dumbfounded state, for as the shock wore off, the teasing had begun.

Yura had, of course, remained in Kyoto, and Rikuo's other friends had all moved away after high school. They had exchanged emails for a little while, but after a while, he lost touch with all but Yura and Kiyotsugu, both of whom he heard from a couple times a year.

Rikuo shifted to make room for other passengers and then sighed, still preoccupied mentally. Unlike his friends who'd gone away for college, he had elected to take classes online, as it was easier than trying to juggle attending classes and his duties as the Third Heir, though he'd finished his degree the previous semester. He supposed that had been part of the source of his boredom and restlessness in the recent months, as well as the resulting edginess and irritability—little change in routine or environment—though acknowledging it had done nothing to alleviate it.

Today, though, things had taken a decidedly less boring turn, what with catching and preventing a rather pretty girl from falling on her face.

As Rikuo slipped in between other passengers and exited the train, a flash of blond out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. "You can come out now. I know you're there, you know."

Kubinashi popped out of the shadows and came to walk beside Rikuo in the direction of home.

"You didn't actually think you could lose me, did you? You might be slippery, but you've got nothing on your father."

Rikuo had heard the stories of his father's antics and Kubinashi's subsequent suffering.

"Fair enough. So did you see that girl in the library?"

"Is that why you seem to be in a good mood? What girl?"

Rikuo eyed him suspiciously.

"Okay, so I may have lost you for about five minutes in the library. But what girl?" Kubinashi asked, looking too interested for Rikuo's comfort.

 _Oh no. If I tell him, he'll tell Kejōrō, and before I know it, half the clan will think I'm getting married or something crazy like that._

Rikuo affected an air of indifference and said, "Oh, just someone who seemed familiar, but if you didn't see her, never mind."

Kubinashi looked like he might press the subject, so Rikuo quickly added, "Speaking of my father, how exactly did he manage to evade you all the time?"

Kubinashi's expression changed from one of curiosity to that of a long-suffering companion. "Right, like I'm going to give you any ideas. Do you know how much grief the Second caused me, like that time he…"

Kubinashi started telling a story about Rihan that Rikuo had heard many a time, and though he tried to listen, it didn't take long before his mind began to wander and Kubinashi's voice faded into pleasant background noise.

As they rounded the corner, nearly to the Nura main house gate, Rikuo's thoughts returned to the woman he'd met at the library. He was puzzled by both the strange slap of power he'd felt as well as the non-reaction on her part. He had anticipated her at least identifying him as a yokai, but instead it had almost seemed like she hadn't even noticed her power flare.

 _Perhaps she was too flustered?_

He smirked a bit to himself as he replayed their interaction in his head. She had indeed been quite flustered, much to his amusement and her evident dismay.

Still thinking about Kagome, he distractedly responded to the calls of " _Okaeri!_ " he and Kubinashi received from various clan members, looking around until he spotted a little crow yokai.

"Hey, Karasu Tengu, where's my grandfather?"

"Oh, Rikuo-sama, you look like you're in a good mood! _Sōdaishō_ is sitting outside by the sakura tree."

Despite his grandfather having officially retired several years prior, Karasu Tengu—and many of the others in the Nura clan—maintained a centuries-long habit of referring to Nurarihyon as "supreme commander." Rikuo couldn't care less, knowing that it was probably too deeply ingrained for them to even notice doing it, plus it certainly wasn't out of disrespect to him as the Third.

Rikuo left Kubinashi talking with Karasu Tengu and made his way over, sitting down next to his grandfather. He'd just opened his mouth to ask him about Kagome and the energy he had felt from her when Zen walked by and interrupted.

"Yo, Rikuo! You look less edgy, freakin' finally…"

Rikuo frowned. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

Zen settled on the floor and pulled out a bottle of sake from God only knows where, pouring some for himself and, when Nurarihyon nodded, some for the supreme commander as well.

Rikuo crossed his arms across his chest, his mood beginning to grow sour.

Finally Zen answered, "Lately you've been walking around looking like"—he looked up from the sake—"like that! Pissed off and impatient."

His grandfather bobbed his head up and down, evidently agreeing with Zen's assessment.

Rikuo's eyebrow twitched.

"So, I wanna know what or who changed that. Is it is a girl? It's a girl, isn't it?" Zen asked.

Rikuo jolted. "Huh? Yes, but it's not like that, okay! She—"

Zen cut him off. "Please, _kami_ , tell me you got laid, because I'm pretty sure it's been a while, maybe since that ame-onna, and you have been seriously— _Itai!"_ Zen rubbed his head. "What the hell, Rikuo?"

"Zen, if you don't shut up and let me talk…" Rikuo began, but Nurarihyon laid a hand on his arm.

" _Maa maa_ …ask me what you came to ask, have a drink, and ignore Zen."

Zen scowled at this and made a "hmph" noise, but otherwise remained silent, pouring more sake for himself and this time some for Rikuo as well.

He took a sip and then explained the encounter at the library. "She didn't seem like an onmyoji, and the energy zap was a split second, almost like she didn't mean to."

"Hmm…" Nurarihyon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What'd you say her name was?"

"Higurashi Kagome."

"Karasu Tengu, isn't there a Higurashi shrine not too far from here?"

The diminutive crow popped his head around the corner, appearing unruffled by the fact that the supreme commander had known he was eavesdropping. "Yes, _sōdaishō_! I believe it's about a twenty-minute drive."

"Actually driving or as the crow flies?" Zen laughed at his own joke before breaking off into a fit of coughs.

"Serves you right," Karasu Tengu muttered.

"If her family owns a shrine, she could be a miko, though it's been a long time since I encountered one with more than rudimentary powers at best."

"That's the thing, _jiji_. I didn't really get the impression she was weak. That fraction of a second felt like sticking my finger in an electrical outlet."

"Oh? Well, it's not like humans having unusual abilities is unheard of. I mean, look at the Keikain family, and your grandmother could heal people."

Rikuo nodded. He'd thought the same thing, but something else about the encounter had intrigued him. "Another thing. All the books she was checking out were related to yokai, folklore and mythology and such."

Zen raised his eyebrows, and Karasu Tengu's eyes widened.

Before they could speak, Rikuo hastily added, "Yet she didn't seem malicious. In fact, like I mentioned, the reiki reaction didn't appear to be intentional."

"You don't know that, though!" Karasu Tengu fussed. "We should investigate. She could be laying a trap!"

"At the library?" Rikuo rolled his eyes, and Zen snorted.

"Hmm… Still, it wouldn't hurt to look into, and it'll keep him"—his grandfather jerked his chin at the agitated crow yokai—"from having a fit."

The aforementioned crow harrumphed. "You want my kids to handle it?"

"Nah, I'll handle it," Rikuo said, and sighed. "It'll give me something to do."

 _Since I've been bored out of my mind…_

They both nodded, and then Nurarihyon narrowed his eyes, a sly smile spreading across his face. "So…is she pretty?"

Rikuo thought of the petite woman with ebony hair and bright blue eyes, and was reminded of how she'd felt in his arms. His lips curled in an involuntary smile.

"Not that it's relevant, but, yeah, old man, she's pretty."

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

1\. For shits and giggles, and since I can, we're going with manga 'verse Kagome's eye color.

2\. A brief note on Rikuo and the whole day/night persona thing—this is simply my opinion and/or headcanon, but I don't believe that he maintained two separate personalities beyond the Kyoto arc. To oversimplify my interpretation, I think once he did as Gyūki asked (during the Kyoto arc) and accepted both his human side along with his yokai side, he was simply Rikuo. His father didn't have split personalities, and if we're talking in terms of Inuyasha 'verse, Inuyasha didn't have a different persona once a month when he was human. It will be discussed and explained a tad more in the story later on, but for now, I wanted you to be aware that in this AU/crossover, he is just Rikuo, able to take either a human or yokai physical form (please be advised, some restrictions may apply).

3\. I would love to be able to give you an updating schedule for this, but that feels a bit too much like poking the bear and tempting fate with my muse. So for now, I'll say soonish? Feel free to provide offerings and/or wave a rubber chicken over your screen to appease the cranky-pants muse. Oh, and reviews help too ;-)


	3. Chapter 2

Thank you so very much to those of you who've read and reviewed! I've tried to reply to everyone I can ( **Guest** and **CL** , you are most appreciated too!), but please know that your kind words turn me into a puddle of happy goo while simultaneously keeping the muse appeased. Win-win.

Even though I'm posting this chapter in a fairly reasonable amount of time, I don't want y'all getting accustomed to any kind of regular updating schedule ;-) No, seriously. Don't. (Murphy's law...it'll muck up everything...)  
But we've already established that I'm stupidly impatient and hate waiting. Thus, here is chapter two.

 **BUT** a quick important note: in case you missed it, the rating has gone up for the reasons I mentioned in note in the prologue. That being said, chapters may vary between T and M from here on out, particularly since those ratings are _rather_ subjective.

As always, it goes without saying: I don't own _Inuyasha_ or _Nurarihyon no Mago._

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"'What's up, boss?'  
'Evil's afoot.'  
'Well, sure,' Bob said, 'because it refuses to learn the metric system. Otherwise it'd be up to a meter by now.'"

 **–Jim Butcher** , _White Night_

"I see a bad moon arising  
I see trouble on the way  
I see earthquakes and lightnin'  
I see bad times today

Don't go 'round tonight  
It's bound to take your life  
There's a bad moon on the rise"

 **–CCR** , "Bad Moon Rising"

* * *

In a nondescript house on the outskirts of Tokyo, a woman paced restlessly until one of her servants appeared.

"Mistress, your evening meal is ready."

She turned and smiled widely at the young man who wheeled a room service cart into the room. "Thanks, love. Will you be joining me?" she asked teasingly, flipping her long red hair over her shoulder.

His eyes widened with fear and a faint trace of lust. "Er, no, Mistress. But you are most generous to offer."

He set the food on the table in the corner of the room and then waited for her approval.

She sat, eyeing the full wineglass, and lifted the silver plate cover, licking her lips in anticipation.

"Is it fresh?"

"Yes, Mistress, plated not five minutes ago. Oh, and as requested, your newspaper." He placed the folded paper next to her wineglass. "Is…is everything to your liking?"

"Yes, yes, you may go now," she said, beginning to grow annoyed as he delayed her meal.

He smiled slightly, the light glinting off pointed canines, then bowed once and left the room.

Forgoing silverware, she extended her two-inch, hawklike talons and picked up the still-warm organ off the plate. She gulped it down greedily, running her tongue along her lips to prevent any morsel from escaping and washing the great hunks down with mouthfuls of lukewarm blood from her wineglass.

Swallowing the last of the freshly harvested human liver, she patted her lips daintily on her napkin. It was an acquired taste, one that had taken her a year just to stomach after decades of a liquid-only diet and another year to learn to enjoy. But now… She hummed with contentment.

Reaching for her newspaper, she skimmed the articles disinterestedly until she reached the Crime & Legal section. Then her lips curved in a self-satisfied smile as she read.

 **Bodies found covered in bite, claw marks  
** TOKYO—Two bodies were found in an alley a little ways outside the First Street area in Ukiyoe Town on Tuesday, police said.  
It is suspected the male victims, whose names remain unknown, may have dumped there.  
A worker from a nearby nightclub discovered the bodies just after 3 a.m., authorities said. Autopsies have been performed, but the cause of death for either victim has not been released. According to witnesses, both bodies had bites and claw marks on their neck, torso, back, and arms, as though attacked by wild animals.  
More as this story develops.

The woman giggled. "Animals? Fools." She tapped her finger thoughtfully against her lips before saying to herself, "Looks like that rat knew what he was talking about after all…"

The woman returned to browsing the newspaper.

 **Local police investigating rash of missing person reports  
** TOKYO—Police are looking into a total of ten missing persons cases that have occurred within the last month.  
This is an ongoing investigation, and authorities are requesting that anyone with information contact the agency either on its social media sites or by calling 03-5555-5555.

"Only ten? Hmm… I suppose some of them haven't been reported then."

She pulled out her phone and sent her assistant a text.

 **Moira:** Please remind everyone not to dump the bodies recklessly…we do have more efficient ways to dispose of them.  
 **Akiko** : Certainly…will do so immediately.

Of that she had no doubt. While rather overeager and far too gullible for her own good, Akiko was nothing if not competent.

She twirled a lock of her fire-red hair around her index finger before shoving back from the table. She was edgy this evening, so perhaps a little walk…and potentially some research into this "Nura clan" that rat had mentioned…

* * *

Across town, Kagome sank into the bathtub, relishing the hot water and perhaps hoping to scrub away her embarrassment from earlier in the day.

 _You literally run into the poor guy, your reiki has an episode for no apparent reason, and then you don't even ask his name?_

She groaned out loud and, after getting cleaned up, she piled her hair on her head and reclined in the tub.

When she closed her eyes, an image of the presently nameless man floated up in her consciousness. A rather good-looking nameless man.

"Ugh, brain, will you just stop already?" Kagome didn't know why he'd made her feel… Well, _feelings_.

For the past eight years, she'd been somewhat numb.

At first, once she'd gotten to a point where she was trained enough, she erected walls around her mind, blocking out any and all energy, youki, reiki, whatever. And she'd told her family never to speak of Inuyasha, of her time travel, of any of it, ever again.

 _I just wanted to forget it all… Forget, as they've forgotten me._

Kagome had done all the things expected of her as a "normal" girl her age—she'd gone to school, hung out with her friends, even dated Hojo-kun for several years before he'd finally realized she was just going through the motions and wouldn't really ever return his feelings.

She'd graduated high school and begun college, gravitating toward studying history and comparative lit because…

 _Because I'm a glutton for punishment. And no matter how hard I try to shut that part of my life away, the truth is I_ don't _want to let it go._

She sighed and stepped out of the rapidly cooling water, wrapping a towel around herself while still preoccupied by her thoughts.

 _This part of me is my only connection to them. And I don't want to let them go._

Roughly a year and a half ago, she'd stopped pretending none of it had ever happened, deciding it was high time she acknowledge and accept who she was. Including past and present.

First, she began taking archery lessons and resumed training her powers, first with an aging priestess and then on her own, supplementing her knowledge with research into myriad miko and onmyoji techniques. While her innate ability and knowledge was greater, going so many years without training had left her with at times crude and clumsy execution that she hoped would improve.

Then, she threw herself into investigating local yokai lore and supposed yokai incidents, eventually expanding her search to encompass all of Japan. She told herself it was strictly for school, for her independent study…but…

 _It's stupid to lie to yourself, Kagome. You're doing it because you miss them._

 _And, though you try to deny it, you miss the strange companionship from friendly yokai and the adrenaline rush from battle with unfriendlies._

During her research into alleged local yokai sightings, she had stumbled upon a website dedicated to yokai with an active message board—that was, incidentally, originally created by the self-proclaimed leader of a local "paranormal investigation squad." While it seemed he himself was no longer actively involved and the current site administrator appeared eccentric yet clueless, the message board itself held promise. Many of the claims posted there had reasonably plausible potential in Kagome's opinion, given her own experiences with yokai.

She'd only gotten the nerve up to investigate one so far, reports of strange ghost lights in some of the parks. With some of the message board posters chattering excitedly about kitsunebi, she couldn't resist the lure of a possible kitsune.

 _Even if Shippo wouldn't know me…_

 _To see him again…_

Unfortunately, while she'd sensed traces of youki, with no easily identifiable source as far as she could tell, she didn't find any actual yokai.

She still couldn't decide if she was relieved or disappointed.

And a tiny part of her wondered if she had _really_ tried hard enough.

However, nothing she'd done and no one she'd encountered in the last couple years—including the law student she'd dated for a while—had completely alleviated the emptiness she felt. She'd had little energy to maintain her friendships from junior high and high school, and perhaps sensing her apathy, they'd drifted apart and lost touch as the years went by.

The vibrancy she'd had during their journey for the sacred jewel shards had dimmed, and though the past year and a half had been a definite improvement, Kagome still felt slightly numb, her emotions dulled.

Until today.

For reasons unbeknownst to her, the mysterious man she'd met in the library had reignited a spark within her, and though she knew she should be happy about it, instead she was both confused and irritated.

 _Ugh, what is wrong with me? Just because some hot stranger keeps you from splatting on your face doesn't mean you get to tie yourself up into knots over actually feeling something._

That traitorous inner voice asked, _"Even though it's the first time you've reacted this way in years? Even though it scares you?"_

Kagome promptly told that little voice to keep its opinions to itself, thankyouverymuch, and after drying her hair, threw on some clothes.

Then, against her better judgment, she began browsing the paranormal message board.

 **yurei_l0vr:** OMG guyyyssss I seriously think there's a ghost in my house. *squee* Do you think it's possible it followed me home from somewhere?  
 **aspiringzebra:** wishful thinking yurei_l0vr.  
 **yurei_l0vr:** you don't have to be rude about it…  
 **Kiyojūji_no1_fan:** Do you need someone to investigate!? Give me specifics!  
 **darkness_rulz:** Anyway… You guys hear about those bodies they found on the outskirts of town?  
 **trickypaella:** The ones about a kilometer from First Street in Ukiyoe Town? Yeah they say supposedly some kind of wild animal killed them…  
 **Kiyojūji_no1_fan:** Near Ukiyoe Town? Nonsense! This is definitely the work of yokai!

Kagome hesitated, as until now she'd pretty much just been a lurker, and then, curiosity piqued, she began to type.

 **lonelymiko:** I've seen people mention it a lot… What's so special about Ukiyoe Town?  
 **yurei_l0vr:** O.o seriously?  
 **aspiringzebra:** (⊙_⊙)  
 **Kiyojūji_no1_fan:** lonelymiko you're joking, right?  
 **lonelymiko:** …  
 **trickypaella:** Aw shit she opened pandora's box… not sticking around for this again… later  
 **Kiyojūji_no1_fan:** lonelymiko Ukiyoe Town is only THE yokai hotspot in all of Tokyo AND according to the former Kiyojūji squad leader himself, it is supposedly the home of the great yokai leader, the Lord of Pandemonium! Supposedly years ago there used to be pictures online but idk why but they've all disappeared. Have you heard the story about how he saved Kiyojūji's life as a kid?  
 **aspiringzebra:** oh look at the time. gtg

Kagome got the feeling she had indeed unleashed Pandora's box. She was intrigued, sure, but she also wasn't quite in the mood for a yokai fangirl (or fanboy) tirade.

 **lonelymiko:** Hey Kiyojūji_no1_fan my food just got here so I gotta run but PM me that story okay? ttyl!

As she shut her laptop, her phone chimed, indicating she'd received a new email. Swiping the screen, her heart raced a little when she saw who it was from.

 **From:** keikainmainhouse  
 **Subject:** Regarding Your Inquiry

Dear Miss Higurashi,  
Thank you for contacting the Keikain House. Your independent study sounds quite interesting, and while we do not have all the information you have requested, we are happy to assist with your research and provide what we can. I understand that you are pressed for time during the semester and are unable to commit to visiting us in Kyoto.  
Fortunately, one of our members will be in Tokyo on business in a couple days, and should be in town for at least a week. We have given him your contact information, and he will be in touch to set up an appointment.  
Please don't hesitate to contact us again if you have further questions.

"Yessss!" Kagome couldn't resist squealing. She'd learned during some aspect of her myriad research that the Keikain were reputed onmyojis, and she hoped they would have some novel materials to add to her research.

 _And I want to see if they have anything about Miroku and Sango_ … She figured if Sango and Miroku had started the taijiya school they'd discussed founding, then the Keikain of all people might have information about it.

Her phone chimed again, alerting her to two new emails.

The first was from an unknown sender, and she almost deleted it before she noticed the email domain was the same as the email from keikainmainhouse.

It was short and to the point:

Higurashi, I'll meet with you at your family shrine this Saturday at 5 p.m. –Keikain Ryūji

Kagome laughed and said to herself, "A real chatterbox, this one. I bet he's going to be _tons_ of fun." She pictured a crotchety, grizzled old man, probably one who'd traded in his ringed staff for a cane, and laughed again.

The second email was a notification from the yokai message board about a new PM.

 _Probably that Kiyojūji_no1_fan person._

Thinking she might as well see what they had to say, she shrugged and opened it in her mobile browser, too lazy to retrieve her laptop.

She skimmed the rather lengthy story, until suddenly something on the screen nearly had her dropping her phone.

The person explained in detail how the so-called Lord of Pandemonium had rescued the Kiyojūji guy, but the physical description…

 _Red eyes, long spiky hair that was white on top and black on the bottom_.

Kagome knew better than to jump to conclusions, but the description held an uncanny resemblance to the split-second vision she'd had when looking at the stranger in the library.

 _Your reiki did act funny…_

She shook her head. No, there was no way. She'd sensed no youki, after all, though she hadn't exactly been trying.

Kagome decided that the combination of a long day and too little sleep the night before had resulted in an overactive imagination and this was little more than a weird coincidence.

Still, as she lay in bed, willing herself to fall asleep, she wished yet again…

 _If only I'd gotten his name!_

* * *

 **Author's note:**

1\. If you are confused about the first portion of the chapter, I assure you things will clear up before too long. Or not. Maybe it will clear up in **too** long. That remains to be seen.

2\. Yes, I know, there was no Rikuo or Nura clan in this chapter. Coming soon to a chapter near you.

3\. Hopefully she won't mind me borrowing her format (I should've asked in advance...), but I "liberated" the quote idea and format at the beginning of the story from **ImpracticalDemon _._** I highly recommend any and all of her stories.


	4. Chapter 3

Thank you so very much to all my readers, and I greatly appreciate the comments some of you have left! (Thank yous to guests **Tolazytologin** and **CL** also since I could not reply to your comments.)

You know the drill: I don't own jackshit. (except any original characters, of course)

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"What's the matter with me? Why do I feel this way? It's such a rut. The same old thing day after day. Same old people. I know I'm feeling sorry for myself but it's true." **–Gil Holroyd** , Bell, Book, and Candle (1958)

"I always thought it would get easier to be a person as I aged. But it just gets more and more complicated."  
 **–Jim Butcher** , Cold Days

* * *

Tsurara shook out the damp laundry with a thwap and hung it on the clothesline, humming a little to herself as she did so. She'd been so happy to see their Sandaime **(1)** joking and drinking with Zen and some of the other members of the clan the night before, looking less uninterested and tense than he had been recently.

Turning to grab another article of clothes, the yuki-onna saw her master and best friend emerge from his room, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Tsurara stifled a giggle. He'd never really been a morning person, though she supposed as a child that had been due to having so many nocturnal responsibilities as well as those during the day. She was thankful for his ability to set his own schedule these days.

Rikuo spotted her and smiled sleepily. "Morning, Tsurara." Another yawn.

"Good morning, Rikuo-sama!" she replied brightly. "Although it's almost not really 'morning' anymore! Did you drink too much with Zen-san last night?" she teased, knowing full well he wasn't hungover—just his usual morning grogginess.

He made a face at her, and she couldn't help but be pleased at how much more like his old self he seemed.

Rikuo disappeared, presumably to get breakfast and wake up, and Tsurara resumed her work on the laundry. The pattern of snapping out the damp clothes and pinning them up held a sort of satisfying meditative monotony, perhaps why she enjoyed the task, and her mind wandered, though not focusing on any one thing in particular.

"Tsurara? Tsurara!" A voice pulled her from her chore-induced trance, and she glanced over her shoulder to find Rikuo looking far more awake.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Oi, you're freezing the laundry again, you know."

"Ehhhhh?" She turned back around—there was indeed a fine layer of frost coating the clothes. "Oh, kami, not again…"

Before she could apologize, which she had intended to do, Rikuo laughed. "You tease me about being sleepy, yet here you are zoning out and making popsicles out of our clothes."

Oh, Master, it's so good to hear you laugh more again…

She sniffed in mock offense and picked up the empty laundry basket. "Did you need something, Rikuo-sama?" she asked.

He nodded. "Kurōmaru brought some news for us from Kyoto, and there's a few other pieces of business to go over as well. Short informal meeting in ten minutes or so?"

"Hai!"

She quickly wrapped up what she was doing and then rejoined Rikuo in the courtyard, and together they went to the meeting room.

The minute they stepped inside, a young man with bright blue eyes and long black hair pulled into a ponytail came bounding up.

"Yo, Sandaime!" he exclaimed, and then proceeded to seize Rikuo's hand and pull him into a bear hug.

Er, in this case would that be a wolf hug?

Tsurara gave the ōkami a stern look. "Kōji-kun, it is hardly appropriate for you to grab Rikuo-sama like that!"

Kōji released Rikuo, turning, and when his gaze landed on her, his lips quirked in a cheeky grin. "Oh! Tsurara-nee-san! You ready to be my woman yet?"

She wrinkled her nose in displeasure, and when he reached toward her, ostensibly to take hold of her around her waist, pick her up, and spin her around—which he had done in the past—she released a little of her Fear **(2)** and exhaled a stream of icy air, freezing his hands.

He yelped and jerked back, looking for all the world like a kicked puppy.

Kurotabō, sitting a few feet away, spoke to Kōji quietly, "Be thankful that's the only part of your anatomy she froze. But I wouldn't push your luck."

Tsurara simply shrugged. I wouldn't, but he doesn't know that.

Kōji's face grew pale, and he edged away from Tsurara to sit near Kurotabō.

Everyone else gathered in the room watched with some amusement. Since the young wolf clan leader had exchanged sakazuki **(3)** with Rikuo a few years prior, they'd grown accustomed to his goofiness, though there were a few, including Tsurara, who had less patience than others.

One of these was Zen—though to be fair, Zen had little patience to begin with—and glaring at Kōji, he said, "Hey! Can we get started? Some of us have things to do!"

"Sorry, sorry… I was raised by wolves, you know." Kōji winked at Tsurara, evidently unaffected by the groans his terrible joke elicited, and then placed his hands behind his head and leaned back slightly, posture relaxed.

Whereas little of Kōji's antics escaped Tsurara's notice, Rikuo, on his part, barely noticed their exchange, his mind distracted by errant thoughts of Kagome. It bothered him that a stranger was getting to him so much…yet at the same time it was a rather pleasant feeling.

Since when is being bothered pleasant? Damnit, get ahold of yourself.

Realizing the room had quieted and all eyes were on him, he cleared his throat. "Thank you for taking time out of your day. We'll try to keep this brief."

He scanned the group, which comprised Tsurara, Kōji, Zen, Kurotabō, Kubinashi, Kejōrō, Kurōmaru, and— He paused when his gaze reached a cat yokai girl sitting near Kejōrō. The girl had pale copper-blond hair with a faint tabby striping and yellow-green eyes.

Ah, right, she's here about the Bakeneko cat sanctuary.

"Momo," Rikuo said, addressing the neko yokai. "I don't believe you've met Kōji before?"

She ducked her head slightly, and said softly, "N-no, S-sandaime…"

He glanced at Kōji, who was grinning and his eyes gleaming.

Likely at the prospect of someone new to potentially be "his woman."

"Momo, of the Bakeneko clan"—Rikuo waved in the direction of the aforementioned man—"meet Kōji, leader of the eastern ōkami clan."

"Nice to meet you, Kōji-san," she mumbled before glancing away.

Kōji's expression turned roguish for a moment, but then Kurotabō leaned over and spoke sotto voce to the younger man, inaudible to the rest of the room. Whatever he'd said, Kōji sobered and nodded politely to the shy neko yokai.

"Anyway…" Rikuo said pointedly, drawing their focus back to the meeting. "Momo, you have an update on the Bakeneko cat sanctuary?"

"H-h-hai, Rikuo-sama." Her voice was hesitant and barely above a whisper as she discussed how things were progressing with the project she and her sister, Miki, had undertaken. Rikuo wondered why her more outgoing younger sister hadn't come today instead, but then remembered with some amusement that Miki was, in addition to outgoing, rather abrasive and overly blunt.

Perhaps Momo didn't trust her not to cause problems?

Or, more likely, Ryōta Neko, their clan leader, hadn't trusted Miki not to cause problems.

Momo finished, saying, "Thanks to Aotabō-san's help, I believe we'll be able to open as anticipated on Tuesday, Rikuo-sama."

"Excellent work keeping things on schedule. I look forward to seeing it," he said and smiled, hoping both it and the encouragement would ease some of her anxieties.

Momo's nervousness inspired thoughts of another woman he recalled making nervous.

Though hopefully for a different reason…

He smacked himself mentally. What are you doing, idiot? Focus.

Rikuo looked toward the back of the room, where Kurōmaru was standing near the entrance, and caught his attention. "I understand you have some news for us"—he then angled his head toward Kōji—"as do you?"

The tengu stepped forward a few feet, knelt, and tilted his head in deference before looking up and speaking.

"Sandaime, our Kyoto liaison received a courtesy notice from Keikain House stating they'll have a member in town soon. They state that there's been some unusual murders—I believe they are referring to the two bodies discovered near First Street—and an increase in missing person reports that the local law enforcement is having trouble solving, and one particularly superstitious officer contacted Keikain House asking for assistance."

"Couldn't they have just let us handle it?" Kubinashi asked.

Rikuo smirked. "Hah, somehow I don't see the prestigious Keikain onmyojis telling Tokyo PD that a group of yokai yakuza will handle it. However, the fact that Keikain did notify us tells me they might like our help, just…unofficially."

Kurōmaru nodded. "That was my and my father's interpretation as well. Also, our other…er…unofficial liaison noted that there has not been any abnormal or suspect activity out of Hagoromo Gitsune's yokai, so we do not believe, at this juncture, that the Kyoto yokai are involved."

Several years ago, the Nuragumi had sent a couple of clan members to Kyoto, one who people in Kyoto were aware of and functioned as liaison with groups there, and the other incognito. They had a professional relationship with the Keikain when it was mutually beneficial and politely neutral, at least thus far, when it wasn't. With Hagoromo Gitsune's group, they tolerated one another at a distance, with equal parts grudging respect and healthy mistrust. They would never see eye to eye, and Rikuo was not so foolish as to let their guard down.

That was a good way to get killed.

"Kurōmaru, you and the Sanba Garasu see what you can learn about these incidents here in town and whether it looks like yokai involvement or simply human-on-human violence. Everyone else, no formal investigation until further notice, but if you happen upon anything relevant, let me know."

They all nodded and gave murmurs of assent.

"Thank you. Right, next… Kōji?" Rikuo waited expectantly.

Kōji sat up straight and leaned forward. "First, my grandfather sends his regards as well as news that an old acquaintance of his will be coming back to Japan on business for the first time in over 300 years. He'll be in Tokyo in the next few weeks or so, and I expect you'll get a… Hmm… To borrow Kurōmaru's term, a 'courtesy notice,' though according to my grandfather, this daiyokai can be kinda prickly, so by 'courtesy' he likely means 'expectation of an invitation to dinner,' and according to jiji, it would be a good idea to do so." He shrugged and gave a lopsided grin. "I couldn't say either way. Never met the guy."

Rikuo resisted the urge to massage his temples. Okay…vague and random… But then that was often par for the course with these wolves.

"Anything else?" Rikuo asked.

"Yes, and while it isn't cause for concern, at least not at the moment, I wanted you to be aware that we've had a couple run-ins with some rat yokai on the edges of our territory. They don't seem to be affiliated with any clan or organized in any particular manner, but they also don't appear to be up to any good."

Kurotabō raised his eyebrows, and Zen frowned.

"You don't think there's any chance they're remnants of the Kyūso clan, do you?" Tsurara asked, her tone laden more with annoyance than concern.

"Impossible!" Kubinashi said, eyebrows furrowing. "We took care of them years ago, and Rikuo-sama killed their leader."

"Still, it would be unwise to discount the, albeit extremely unlikely, possibility," Kurotabō spoke quietly.

Rikuo agreed. "Kōji, I'll leave this to you and your clan for now. Keep me apprised of any developments. Any other business needing attention?"

When no one spoke up—unless you counted Zen's coughing, which Rikuo didn't—he said, "Good! Meeting adjourned."

* * *

After the meeting, Rikuo had pulled Tsurara aside and, once he'd given her a cursory overview of the Kagome situation, asked if she could accompany him on a little errand. After all, she had ample experience blending in with humans, and he also knew that unlike some, she would be discreet about discussing the topic with other clan members. Tsurara had been happy to accommodate him.

It was midafternoon by the time Rikuo and Tsurara finally left and arrived at the Higurashi shrine. Though they were still in the city limits, once up the steps and through the scarlet torii gates, it was surprisingly quiet. Rikuo speculated it was perhaps due to the numerous trees surrounding the property, giving it somewhat of an illusion of being secluded, despite the fact that there was an excellent view of Tokyo from the top of the shrine stairs.

"Rikuo-sama?"

"Hmm?" he said, not really paying attention as he gazed out over the city. The leaves had begun to change, and in a few weeks, the late autumn color would be spectacular.

A small tap on his elbow made him refocus and look at Tsurara, whose expression held a mixture of confusion and concern.

"Is… Is this not the shrine we visited seven or eight years ago?"

He glanced around quickly, realizing she was right. "Could be a coincidence, but given the circumstances…"

"It's a little strange," she agreed.

Before they could venture much farther, an elderly Shinto priest with a long gray mustache and goatee, his body bent by the weight of age into a C-curve, walked up.

"Good afternoon! You two here to visit the shrine, or here to see one of my grandchildren?" he asked, and though his posture was relaxed, Rikuo noticed how he stared at him and Tsurara.

As if he's sizing us up.

Or trying to decide if we're human…

Rikuo found himself curious if the man had encountered yokai in the past.

"A little of both, actually, but I was wondering if Kagome-chan was home?"

The old man's eyes narrowed fractionally. "How do you know my granddaughter?"

Tsurara gave a bright cheerful smile and said, "We went to school together!"

Kagome's grandfather didn't look convinced, so Rikuo elaborated. "At the university, she means."

Some of the wariness on the man's face eased, and he nodded. "She's not here right now, but she is here a couple times a month. Shall I tell her you stopped by?"

Rikuo waved his hand. "Nah, that's okay, we'll catch up with her on campus. Thank you, though."

I guess it wouldn't do any harm to see if he knows anything… He is a Shinto priest after all.

"I, uh, don't suppose you've had any strange or unexplained incidents here recently?"

The aging priest arched an eyebrow at him.

He racked his brain for a reasonable excuse. "We're, uh, part of a paranormal investigation squad…" Oh, hell, is that really the best I could come up with?

Tsurara gave him a look, as if to say, "Seriously? Have you lost your mind?"

Kagome's grandfather averted his gaze, and Rikuo noticed it lingered ever so slightly on a small, weathered wooden building before he resumed eye contact.

"I couldn't say. You'd be better off asking my granddaughter about that. Or my grandson, who'll eventually take over after me in running the shrine." He paused, and then a smile spread slowly. "But if you're interested in unusual stories or lore, let me show you a few things here at our shrine."

Tsurara eyed Rikuo, and he shrugged. Perhaps they'd learn something useful.

They followed behind Kagome's grandfather to stand in front of a rather remarkably large tree adorned with a length of rope, from which hung zigzagging strips of cloth or paper.

Her grandfather gestured to the tree and said proudly, "Once, many centuries past, a ferocious dog demon was sealed to this Goshinboku by a powerful priestess."

"Oh, is that so? What happened to this inu-yokai?" Rikuo asked.

The priest looked faintly disconcerted. "Well, clearly he got unsealed, or died, or something like that. It was a long time ago. Sometimes the lore is a little vague, you know," the old man said.

He remained in front of the Goshinboku but pointed in the direction of a small building across from the main shrine, the one where Rikuo had noticed his gaze lingering. "That wooden building there houses the Bone-eater's Well, a well that dates back to the Sengoku era and has been part of our shrine for generations."

An unusual name. "Bone-eater?" Rikuo asked.

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked," their guide exclaimed cheerfully.

Rikuo wasn't sure if he should be happy or worried about the man's enthusiasm for history and folklore, though it could potentially explain Kagome's interest in the subject. He was reminded a bit of his childhood friend Kiyotsugu and momentarily imagined the two men one-upping one another with historical anecdotes and tales of yokai.

Perhaps I should introduce them.

"It hasn't been used as a well since before the Sengoku era, or at least the family history states that by then it had dried up. Instead, according to legend, it was used long ago for disposing of bones and remains of yokai. They'd throw the chopped-up remains into the well, and after a little while, they'd disappear. Where they went, no one knows."

Tsurara's face betrayed first her shock and then disgust. The old man must have noticed, for he said, "Grisly business, hmm? But no need to fear, there haven't been yokai around these parts in…" He hesitated, as though remembering something, and then hastily continued, "Well, in a long time."

He promptly began speaking about some other historical aspect of the shrine, but Rikuo's thoughts were still preoccupied by the Bone-eater's well.

There is something about that well house, Rikuo thought, that the aging priest doesn't want to reveal. He had no doubt that Tsurara had noticed it too.

As the old man talked, Rikuo and Tsurara exchanged a glance, and she nodded, seeming to know Rikuo's plan.

"Ano… I hate to interrupt, but do you perhaps have a restroom I could use?" A forced giggle, and then she added, "Too much tea earlier!"

Their guide gestured for her to follow, and when the two walked away, Rikuo slipped into the well house.

He'd expected…well, a well. Instead, he found a well encased in wood, its lid nailed shut with ofudas adhered to its surface and some kind of tree branch **(4)**.

A ward?

He tentatively touched one of the corners, earning himself a small shock, but in doing so, he got the distinct impression the sutras were designed more to keep things in, not out.

Okay, now that is strange…

Given the story the old man had told them about it, he wondered if perhaps it was simply a family tradition in order to prevent any remnants of yokai the well had "eaten" from returning. Still…this ward hardly dated from the Sengoku era.

Rikuo would've liked to investigate further, but he didn't want to get caught in an area that was clearly "off limits" to shrine visitors. That would only raise any suspicions, and the elderly priest had seemed suspicious enough to begin with.

He got back to the Goshinboku barely before their guide and Tsurara returned. He was chatting away animatedly, and Tsurara wore her signature sweet smile, nodding and making comments here and there.

When she met his gaze, Rikuo gave a tiny headshake and then tipped his head slightly toward the exit.

During a slight pause in the old man's speaking, Tsurara turned to him and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, but we must be on our way. We so appreciate both your expertise and you taking the time to give us a tour."

Kagome's grandfather beamed at the yuki-onna. He turned to Rikuo and gestured at Tsurara. "Quite a lovely girlfriend you've got here."

There was a time that a comment such as that would've had the two of them flustered and blushing furiously. Now, both Rikuo and Tsurara simply smiled.

"Not girlfriend," Rikuo said, "childhood best friend." A term that doesn't even scratch the surface, but that's none of his business.

The old man opened his mouth to say something more when some new shrine visitors appeared, and his attention was drawn toward them.

"Ah, well, nice of you to come by. I'm sorry you missed Kagome, and sorry we haven't had any exciting supernatural occurrences for you to investigate," he said, and then added under his breath, "not for many years anyway…"

Though he knew the old man hadn't intended for him to hear, Rikuo heard it nonetheless, and he was sure Tsurara had as well, thanks to heightened yokai senses.

Kagome's grandfather went to greet the new visitors, and Rikuo and Tsurara made their way down the shrine steps.

"I left an offering at the main shrine when I 'went to the ladies' room,'" Tsurara said offhandedly, adding air quotes and her golden eyes sparkling.

Rikuo gave a wry half-smile. "Not a particularly creative excuse, but an effective one in any event. See anything suspicious on your way there or back?"

"Sumimasen, Rikuo-sama. Nothing. But…the well?"

He told her what he'd found, and then said, "Unfortunately, I think all we've done is generate more questions about the Higurashi shrine and its miko."

"Don't worry, Rikuo-sama!" Tsurara said. "While you're in Tōno, I can try to do some research if you'd like?"

He groaned. "Oi, is that tomorrow?"

She nodded.

Rikuo still trained with Itaku and the Tōno yokai regularly, though unlike in the past, he now tried to be more fair and not make them travel to Tokyo all the time. So every few sessions, he would go out to Tōno, which he didn't mind, but right now he was rather preoccupied.

Damnit, looks like I'll have to wait to learn more about—and find—Kagome when I get back. Maybe I can convince Itaku to let me leave early Sunday…

Yeah, right. Like that would happen.

He realized he'd let his mind wander to thoughts of Kagome without giving Tsurara an answer. "Oh, yes, that would be helpful, but do so discreetly. I should be back late Sunday night, early Monday morning. I'll leave you and Kurotabō in charge."

"Hai! Is Zen-san still going with you?"

Shit, how much had he forgotten in his distraction over Kagome? He'd forgotten that the last time he returned from Tōno, Zen had mentioned accompanying him the next time. With his failing health, Zen liked both spending time with his sworn brother as well as making use of their hot springs.

Rikuo shrugged. "Who knows. Their hot springs would do him some good, though."

And the training will do me some good. Maybe get my head back on straight instead of thinking about random strangers all the time.

Despite being frustrated with himself over a serious lack of focus, Rikuo's mood was lighter than it had been in weeks.

I will find you, Higurashi Kagome.

* * *

 **Footnotes:**

 **1.** "Sandaime" means in "Third Head" in English, referring to Rikuo as the third generation leader of the clan. His father, Rihan, was the "Nidaime," or Second.

 **2.** "Fear" or "osore" in Nurarihyon no Mago is similar to youki (or yokai ki/energy), but both the use of the term as well as its application in series is more detailed. Rather than me trying to poorly explain it, I'll allow Itaku, Rikuo's Tōno yokai trainer, (and of course in reality, the author, Shiibashi Hiroshi) to explain. In chapter 70, he tells Rikuo, "yokai exist to scare people, right? They instill fear, awe and respect. The term fear summarizes all those yokai powers. A yokai brings fear ["bringing fear"] when he amplifies his presence to surprise and overwhelm. It involves controlling the atmosphere. You know, like in spooky stories. A chill creeps into the air… And then a yokai can use his abilities. But that only works on humans. As time passed, yokai increased in number and began fighting over territory. A way to fight ayakashi [yokai] became necessary. That is called the next step." Itaku then goes further than this, explaining the next steps of using one's fear, but for now, we'll skip forward to the second relevant explanation he gives in chapter 71—"everyone has a different fear. Using fear as an attack…means manifesting your characteristics as a yokai in a physical way. A kappa's attack involves water. A yuki-onna's attack manifests as ice." So, at times, I may use Fear to be synonymous with youki (especially considering "Fear" or "osore" is not a term Kagome knows yet). Other times it will refer to this more specified application. I will do my best to make sure things remain clear!

 **3.** Exchanging "sakazuki"—a ritual in which sake is exchanged as a pledge of loyalty. In Nurarihyon no Mago, two types are mentioned: One is the 5:5 pledge, which links them as equals or sworn siblings. Rikuo has done this with Zen, and it is implied at the end of the manga (or at least in my interpretation) Shōei as well. The second is the 7:3 pledge, which is a leader-subordinate dynamic. In canon, Rikuo has done the 7:3 exchange with Tsurara, Kurotabō, Aotabō, Kubinashi, Kappa, and Jami (if I'm forgetting anyone, please let me know!).

 **4.** The branch atop the Bone-eater's Well (per a fan translation of the Inuyasha novelization) is a sakaki branch. Sakaki, otherwise known as Cleyera japonica, is a holy tree in Shintoism.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **1.** Sorry for the long footnotes! I try my best to keep them short, but those got out of hand!

 **2.** I have good news and bad news. Bad news first – in a little over a week I'll be going out of town and unable to update for roughly two weeks. I know, I know. But don't say I didn't warn you – granted this isn't my muse's fault, but I **did** say not to get used to any sort of schedule. Good news—I should have the next chapter up in a few days.

 **3.** Chapters will not always be either Kagome or Rikuo with never the twain meeting. But there's a tad bit o' groundwork getting laid here, so bear with me. I promise this twain shall meet.


	5. Chapter 4

Tons of love to y'all for reading, following, favoriting, reviewing...you are all awesome. I think I've replied to everyone who has reviewed, but since I can't reply to guests, a quick thank you to **CL** and **Tolazytologin** for your reviews as well!

Without further ado, chapter four:

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale."  
 **–Peter S. Beagle,** _The Last Unicorn_

"Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."  
 **–The Dread Pirate Roberts,** _The Princess Bride_ (1987)

* * *

"Trying to escape, miko? Tsk-tsk, that won't do. Not when I've finally gotten you alone."

Tentacles shot out from Naraku and began wrapping around her, binding her arms and legs and rendering her immobile. The bloodied and broken bodies of her friends lay nearby, and with more anger and grief than fear motivating her, she struggled violently, though the effort was futile.

"That's so much better. Now…" Naraku's lips curved upward, the stomach-churning, sinister smile hinting at the unpleasantness to come.

 _No!_

Kagome thrashed and clawed her way to consciousness.

Panting, she found herself soaked in sweat and tangled in her sheets. She flung them off, sat up, and pressed her face into her hands, choking back tears and willing her heart rate to slow. Her normally cozy apartment felt so very, very empty and she so very alone. At times like these, she questioned her decision to move out of the shrine house. But would that have really mattered? In the quiet dark of night, she still would've felt alone even with people in the house around her.

She dreamed of them often—her Sengoku-era friends, her enemies, mere acquaintances who'd endeared themselves to her.

Occasionally, the dreams were only images, like flipping through a photo album or viewing a movie reel with no sound.

Sometimes, like just now, they were nightmares, horrific scenarios crafted by a twisted subconscious that tortured her both in sleep and when she awoke.

And other nights, they were memories of the times shared with those she'd journeyed with, memories she held dear.

Inuyasha's headstrong exuberance and often feigned annoyance with their little group, which he valued greatly as friends even if he rarely admitted it. Shippō's mischievous antics and pranks—usually directed at Inuyasha—but also his youthful sweetness and optimism. Sango's fierce determination and passion, and how her emotions, positive and negative, were felt so deeply, so intensely, yet often carefully hidden beneath her warrior exterior. Miroku, with his steadfast loyalty and occasionally questionable morals, not to mention wandering hands, who was equally capable of being the voice of reason or the source of mischief.

Sesshōmaru, Rin, Jaken, Kaede, Kōga, and so many others… And hell, she was even thankful for the memories of Kikyō, astonishingly enough.

 _Though, I suppose that's not being entirely fair. Things did get better…a little._

During the final parts of their journey, Kikyō had softened fractionally, her icy exterior thawing. She was never really what Kagome would call warm, but she at least was no longer aloof and spiteful.

Even when they held hints of sadness, she clung fast to those remembrances, wouldn't trade them for anything.

Memories were a double-edge sword, however, and there was no guarantee her slumbering mind wouldn't dredge up the really bad ones to star in her dreams. So sometimes, she was forced to relive traumas that no one, let alone a fifteen-year-old, should ever have had to cope with.

Like finding Inuyasha after Kikyō died, so broken with grief and rage she'd barely recognized him.

Then, the heartache and agony had overshadowed the rage, and he had simply looked lost, a shell of his former self.

Seeing him like that had made the decision for her first two wishes a no-brainer.

Sure, she'd still loved him then, but it had softened to the poignant acceptance of an unrequited love, yet without any resentment. She had purely wanted him to be happy.

She had not begrudged Inuyasha and Kikyō their happiness. At the same time, she couldn't escape the hollowness she had felt, still felt. Would she someday find someone who would put her first? Who would make her his priority?

 _Even if you did…would you let yourself love him, knowing you'll likely outlive him and have to watch him die?_

"Okay, that's quite enough of that…" Kagome chastised herself out loud, refusing to let herself wallow in her memories and dwell on things that were no more, not when she desperately needed rest. She grabbed a blanket off the foot of her bed and trudged to the small sofa in her tiny living room, deciding that for tonight, her bed was clearly not conducive to peaceful sleep.

She turned on the TV and was grateful to find a movie on that she'd seen a dozen times already. With the volume to just audible enough and her knowing what was happening without even _really_ watching, it wasn't long before her eyelids drooped and she drifted to sleep.

* * *

Later that day—Friday—after finally getting at least a couple hours of sleep and attending her morning classes, she'd gone to the library.

Seated in the reference section of the library, Kagome jotted down some notes and flipped the page, suppressing the urge to make a face at yet another grotesque illustration.

 _Pre-Byron-inspired vampires are so gross._

For her "Folklore and Mythology in Popular Culture" class, they were working on mythology in present-day media and researching their origins, or suspected origins. Much to Kagome's dismay, rather than allowing them to choose the topic, their instructor had assigned them at random, and she'd wound up with vampires.

And contrary to any tall, dark, and sparkly depictions in present day, vampire lore traced its roots to likely being an explanation for decomposition—quintessential traits such as paleness, extended fangs and fingernails, and blood around the mouth were all normal for the progression of a corpse's decay. This made for particularly _un_ -sexy creatures, more akin to zombies.

She much preferred the Fae lore and similar myths she'd been working on in her "Intro to Celtic Myth and Folklore" course.

The reference section was quiet, as always, but Kagome couldn't help but be happy she'd started this during daylight hours. Between the yurei stories she'd been reading for her independent study and the vampires, she'd have managed to freak herself out doing this at night.

 _Not that it would have been the first time…_

She continued going through the book and taking down notes occasionally when she heard movement behind her. She glanced back, yet nothing was there.

 _Weird. Or my imagination and too many creepy things in my research today…_

She went back to reading, and then she heard it.

A voice behind her whispered in a low, ominous tone, "Kaaaaagooooomeeeee…"

Kagome whirled around in time to see a figure pop out from one of the bookshelf aisles.

A muffled squeak slipped past her lips as she tried to stifle the startled screech.

"Damnit, Natsumi-chan, you seriously scared the shit out of me," Kagome hissed as her friend and former roommate, Torii Natsumi, collapsed on the floor next to her, giggling.

When Natsumi finally regained control of herself, she stood and fisted her hands on her hips, facing Kagome and mock frowning.

" _You_ are in trouble!" Natsumi scolded. "You haven't returned my calls or texts in weeks. Months!"

Guilt flooded Kagome. "I'm sorry… I've just been—"

"Busy. I know, I know." Natsumi dropped into a chair next to her and leaned in close. "But did it occur to you that I might have something important to tell you?"

Kagome eyed her friend. "Well?"

Natsumi's expression grew impishly feline, matching her unusual catlike blue eyes. "Hmm… Nope! You have to earn it."

Kagome widened her eyes incredulously. "Huh? You can't leave me hanging like that!"

Natsumi laughed. "I can, and I will. Serves you right for avoiding me!" She bit her lip, appearing to think on something and then nodded to herself. "Sooo… To earn it, you have to have dinner with me one night next week."

She opened her mouth to make an excuse, and her friend interrupted, saying, "No weaseling out, Kagome-chan. It's happening."

Kagome rolled her eyes. There was no winning with Natsumi when she was like this.

Natsumi glanced at her watch and stood. "Well, I've got to get to class. I'll text you, and we will figure out one night that works best, maybe Tuesday or Wednesday."

She smiled and waved good-bye, both of which Kagome returned before shaking her head once Natsumi was gone. Even when they were roommates freshman and sophomore year, she'd been easygoing and cheerful, and Kagome was still a little surprised how understanding Natsumi had been about her aloofness and quasi-antisocial behavior.

Kagome recalled one morning when she'd woken from a particularly horrific nightmare to Natsumi gently stroking her hair. Kagome had scooted away instantly, the contents of the dream lingering and causing her to react without thinking.

 _Natsumi smiled a little sadly. "It's okay, Kagome-chan. I know what it's like to have nightmares. It's not real. You're awake now."_

 _Kagome rubbed her arms, chilled from the sweat-dampened clothes and sheets. "Sorry if I woke you up," she said stiffly. She felt really awkward about the whole thing._

 _Natsumi shook her head, her ever-present glossy black ponytail swaying slightly. "I've been up for about thirty minutes. You're fine. Look, why don't you get dressed, and I'll make some hot tea to warm you up?"_

 _Kagome nodded, wondering why this girl who barely knew her was being so very kind._

 _Once she'd changed, Natsumi pressed a cup of steaming tea into her hands. "Careful, it's pretty hot."_

 _"Why are you being so nice?"_

 _Natsumi cocked her head in confusion. "Why wouldn't I be? You're my friend."_

Friend _. Had she done anything to deserve such friendship? For the most part, she'd been distant and morose since they'd started rooming together a few months prior._

 _Natsumi reached out and patted her arm, a tiny sympathetic smile appearing when Kagome flinched._

 _It had been a_ really _bad dream._

 _"I know you don't want to talk about it. Won't talk about it. But…" Natsumi's normally sunny expression grew clouded, and she averted her eyes momentarily. Then she looked back up and met Kagome's gaze. "I know what it's like to go through something traumatic. Not all scars are visible."_

Something about Natsumi's persistent compassion, combined with the fact that the girl never once pried, chipped away at the wall Kagome had erected between herself and the rest of the world. It didn't fix the faint numbness she felt, nor did it erase the hollow emptiness inside from the loss of her Sengoku-era friends, but she knew now it had been a miniscule step toward healing.

 _Healing… Whatever that means_ , she thought bitterly. She doubted healing completely was even actually possible, especially given the supposed nature of the Sacred Jewel's curse.

The buzzing of her phone drew her from her gloomy introspection, and when she looked at it, she was surprised to see two texts from her mom, rather than Natsumi as she'd assumed it would be.

 **Mama:** Hi sweetie! I know you're busy with classes, but call me when you get a chance.  
 **Mama:** It isn't an emergency - I have a small favor to ask.

Between Natsumi's interruption and now her curiosity over her mother's favor, Kagome's focus was shot. She elected to make copies of the sections from the reference books she needed and then headed home. On her way, she called her mom.

Her mother answered on the second ring, and Kagome said, "Hey, Mama, got your text. What's up?"

"Oh, Kagome! You didn't have to rush to call me."

"It's fine, Mama. You said you needed a favor?"

She heard her mom exhale audibly, as though she were uncomfortable. "I don't think Leo is coming back."

Leo was the cat they'd adopted after Buyo had passed away two years ago, since both her mother and grandfather liked having a cat at the shrine to keep away any unwanted pests. Kagome also suspected her mother just _liked_ having a cat.

Approximately five weeks ago, Leo had gone missing, and they hadn't seen hide nor hair of him since. They'd searched for him and put up flyers, to no avail. Kagome knew he certainly wasn't mistreated, so she didn't think he'd run away. She speculated some jerk without any sense of decency had snatched him.

She sighed. Her mother's since of finality to his disappearance made her chest ache. "I'm sorry, Mama. I know you loved him. We all did."

"We did… But the other reason I wanted to talk to you… Your grandfather and Sōta both have said they've seen a rat or large mouse on the property…so…"

"Hmm…if it had just been _jii-chan_ , that would be one thing, but Sōta too?"

"Yes. So I think we need another cat. I can't stand the thought of a rodent infestation."

Kagome shuddered and agreed wholeheartedly. "Me neither. So would it be correct to assume your favor is you would like me to look into getting you another cat?"

She could hear the smile in her mother's voice. "It would be such a help if you could. Who knows, maybe you could find yourself a furry friend…"

 _A-ha. So that's why she wants_ me _to look into it._

"Mama, we've talked about this…"

"I know, but I just think you wouldn't be nearly as lonely with a cat."

Kagome sighed. "I'll think about it. But I will let you know what I find out and if I find a cat for you."

They said their farewells, and Kagome hung up. Then, once she'd gotten to her apartment and set down her stuff, she flopped on her bed and texted Natsumi to see if she might know anyone who had a cat needing a home.

Almost instantly her phone chimed.

 **Natsumi:** Is something wrong? Are you sick? YOU'RE texting me?!  
 **Kagome:** Ha ha very funny -_- Seriously though… Mom needs a new cat at the shrine

There was a pause, and then her phone chimed again.

 **Natsumi:** There's a cat sanctuary opening up the beginning of next week in Ukiyoe Town, a couple blocks from First Street. You free Wednesday? I'll go with you…dinner after?

Kagome sent back a thumbs-up and asked what time.

 **Natsumi:** No class that day so I'm free whenever…can you meet me? First Street's pretty close to my house  
 **Kagome:** class till 11:45 and then a meeting with my independent study professor—text you when I'm done? and sure send me the address

Natsumi replied with a thumbs-up and the address for the cat sanctuary.

Kagome then texted her mom to let her know both that she'd found a possible avenue for adopting a new cat as well as the fact that she'd be home tomorrow morning and staying the night. She liked to help out at the shrine a couple times a month, even though her family insisted she didn't need to. Plus she had to go tomorrow anyway to meet the Keikain person there and get her research materials.

 _I hope there's something about Miroku and Sango…_

Her chest hurt, literally, and she rubbed the heel of her palm against it. Hopefully it wouldn't be one of the bad episodes, where all she could do was curl into the fetal position and pray the pain went away quickly.

Yet another one of those things she'd learn to deal with after being cursed, though thankfully not as frequently as it had been when she first returned.

Lying on her bed with her hands pressed to her heart, exhausted from little rest the night before, Kagome fell asleep and dreamed—not of Naraku or her friends from the Sengoku era, but rather of a nameless young man who shifted back and forth between appearances. One with warm brown eyes and bicolored brown and black hair, the other with crimson eyes and long, gravity-defying white and black hair.

Unbeknownst to Kagome, far north of her in the village of Tōno, that very same young man, who had managed to temporarily evade his trainer to catch a short catnap, was dreaming of her too.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. lara5170** brought up something I wanted to touch on briefly (thank you again, by the way!)—Kagome is not immortal, and she is (at the present time) aging normally. Whether that will continue…remains to be seen. In this 'verse, yokai are not immortal, yet very long-lived, and they do age, though very little and very slowly. For an example, see Gyūki, who is over 1000 years old and doesn't look that much different than he did when Nurarihyon first met Yōhime. Nurarihyon—at least in my interpretation—seems to have aged more drastically than the others due to Hagoromo Gitsune ripping out (and eating…ew…) his heart. It's also possible it was due to her curse, but that wouldn't explain it lasting after the curse was broken. Though his ability to use his Fear to temporarily regain his youthful form adds more questions... _Anyway..._ that's neither here nor there. I do not want to give too much away about Kagome (we'll get there, I promise), but for now you can assume that she has aged as one normally would, so her physical age matches her numerical age at this time.

 **2.** I greatly appreciate your patience while you wait for Rikuo and Kagome's next meeting. Groundwork still being laid, just a little bit more and we'll be there. I assure you…they'll be meeting again before too long.

 **3.** As I mentioned last chapter, I'm going on vacation this coming week and won't be able to update for a couple weeks. But barring any unforeseen circumstances, I should have the next chapter up by the 17th or 18th. Of course, now that I've said that…I anticipate my muse giving me the finger and disappearing. Keep your fingers crossed, folks, and send her offerings. I reckon she likes sweets and Irish whiskey. Oh and reviews make her happy too ;-)


	6. Chapter 5

Greetings from your jet-lagged writer! I won't lie—I'm actually kind of amazed I'm updating this soon, but perhaps the stars have aligned in our favor. We won't look a gift horse in the mouth.

I wanted to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for everyone who continues to read/follow/review/etc as well as the comments in favor of the pacing thus far—y'all are the best.  
And since I can't reply directly to guests, thank you to **animefan** , **CL** , **Guest** (s), and **Anon** for your reviews also!

I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had fun writing it :-)

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"People come, people go  
Some grow young, some grow cold  
I woke up in between  
A memory and a dream"  
 **–Tom Petty** , "You Don't Know How It Feels"

"It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it."  
 **–Charlotte Brontë** , _Jane Eyre_

* * *

"Get up."

Rikuo lay flat on his back, panting, as Itaku stood above him, looking annoyed.

"Give me a minute to catch my breath, will ya?" Rikuo said, sitting up and then pulling himself into a crouch, balancing himself with one hand on the ground. His breathing was still ragged, though his heart rate was slowing.

The weasel yokai merely arched one eyebrow.

Then, a heartbeat later, a sickle appeared to impale Rikuo in the chest before his illusionary body dissolved into a mist of Fear.

Itaku's eyes flared golden, and he swung one of his sickles in a wide arc, slicing through a second of Rikuo's illusions. That too split and melted into Fear.

When Rikuo did attack from where he'd hidden behind Itaku, Itaku parried the strike too easily.

"Your form's slipping," Itaku called as he danced away from another of Rikuo's attacks.

They were training just outside of Tōno rather than inside in order to work on something Itaku had proposed three years ago.

It had been during one of Itaku's trips to Tokyo, and evidently he'd made some inquiries about Rihan to Nurarihyon and others who'd worked closely with the Second, as well as even Wakana. Then he'd presented his theory to Rikuo and Nurarihyon.

"I don't think this whole six hours thing is set in stone," Itaku had said. "Maybe initially, who knows, but considering Rihan wasn't human for twelve hours each day, I believe now that Rikuo has accepted himself and his being a yokai, it's more a matter of endurance."

To Rikuo and his grandfather, the idea had come as a surprise, but a welcome one.

Itaku had continued by saying that he thought Rikuo should stay in yokai form as much as possible and attempt to hold it past the supposed six-hour limit, both in training as well as everyday activities.

It turned out Itaku's theory had been correct—with consistent effort over the last three years, Rikuo had built up his stamina for his yokai form to ten hours, and was able to shift between human and yokai whether day or night.

He'd also continued training his ability to use Fear while in human form, though despite being beyond the realm of an average mortal, he was still stronger and more skilled when a yokai. However, with the Nurarihyon genetics rather dominant and not the least bit subtle, Rikuo valued having the option of a non-ayakashi appearance to make interactions with normal humans easier.

Rikuo had found it was harder to push the boundaries of his endurance when he was distracted, a risky and potentially fatal weakness during a serious fight, which was why he continued to enlist Itaku's help.

Which was also why they were training _outside_ Tōno at the moment—the village's Fear enabled Rikuo to remain as a yokai endlessly, without making any effort, so they couldn't train and achieve their purpose unless they were outside.

Rikuo felt his youki reserves falter just as Itaku repeated, "Your form's slipping."

"Oi, I'm not deaf. Heard you the first time."

"Then fix it," Itaku said, smirking.

Rikuo grimaced. "Easy for you to say. You shift into a weasel during the day, but either way you're still a yokai. You've got a distinct advantage."

"Ho? Didn't know the Nuragumi Sandaime was the type to make excuses."

When Itaku lunged, Rikuo dodged a fraction too late, and he felt the sting of Itaku's sickle on his shoulder.

 _Damnit!_

Itaku scoffed. "Your focus has been shit since you got here. Zen said you were distracted by some pretty girl, but I thought he was joking." Before Rikuo could respond, he added, "Either stop thinking with your dick, or get the hell out of here and quit wasting my time."

Rikuo felt his face heat and his jaw clench. He knew what Itaku was doing, baiting him and trying to piss him off, expecting that the anger would give Rikuo a boost of energy.

 _Lucky for me, it's working._

That aside…Zen wouldn't need to worry about his poison slowly killing him any longer, because Rikuo was going to murder him.

But first, he had to beat this weaselly bastard taunting him.

* * *

Rikuo wasn't the only one training.

Many miles farther south, Kagome was pushing her limits as well. She dropped her bow and nearly empty quiver on the ground, rolling her shoulders and wiping sweat off her brow with her sleeve.

Feeling adequately "in the zone," Kagome concentrated on her reiki and visualized shaping it into a bow and an arrow. Physically going through the motions of nocking the energy arrow, she began to draw back her arm, mentally picturing herself pulling the string.

It snapped, and the energy popped her hands as painfully as an actual broken bow string.

"Shit!" Kagome hissed, shaking out her hands.

 _Why isn't this working? I'm doing everything Genkai taught me. Though…truthfully, I couldn't get it to work then either. Of course, it doesn't help that this specific technique is completely theoretical and even she couldn't do it…_

She ground her teeth in frustration and resisted the urge to stomp her feet. It was probably time for a break if she was considering a temper tantrum.

Her stomach growled, and she remembered that her mother had said there was food in the fridge for both her and Sōta, though he wouldn't be home until after six. Both her mother and grandfather would be gone until eight or nine o'clock that night, so she'd made Kagome and Sōta dinner in advance.

 _Perhaps just a little snack…_

As she turned to head to her house, she caught sight of an unfamiliar man clad in a long dark cloak making his way to her. He was fairly short, with messy black hair, the fringe hanging down into his eyes.

"Excuse me?" he called, a sheepish expression on his face. "Can you help me? I think I may be lost."

Figuring he was yet another tourist who'd lost their way, she smiled patiently and stepped toward him. "Of course, how can I help?"

He reached inside his cloak, for his phone or an address she assumed, but no sooner had Kagome taken a couple steps forward than the man pulled out what looked to be a bamboo bottle. He jerked the stopper from it, saying, "Garo…devour."

A wolflike apparition materialized and rushed directly at her.

Unable to think, Kagome merely reacted instinctively, thrusting her hands in front of her.

A heartbeat later, the gaping maw of the creature crashed into the faintly pink dome-shaped shield surrounding her, and it splattered to the ground.

 _Water?_

"Ho? Interesting." Gone was the man's innocent, awkward appearance, and he quirked his lips in a mocking half smile, flicking two fingers in her direction. The water coalesced back together and slammed against the shield again, causing her to flinch and skid backward a couple inches.

 _Damnit! What the hell is that thing? And who is he?_

Kagome slowly backed away from her assailant, heart pounding wildly the whole time, until she reached the bow and quiver she'd laid on the ground earlier. Not taking her eyes off of him, she kept one hand raised, using it as a focus for her shield, and reached down to grab the bow and an arrow.

 _Oh, thank goodness, there's one left._

Then she waited for the creature to pull back slightly before its next lunge. The instant it did, she whipped her arms into position, dropped her shield, and, channeling power into the arrow, fired.

It collided with the monster, and they erupted into a shower of sparks.

"So, you're not just a pretty face," the man said, smirking. "Gengen, return."

The puddles on the ground flowed back into the bottle in his hand, and he re-stoppered it.

Kagome glanced around her quickly. No tourists nor her family in sight. _I don't think I've ever been so happy the shrine was completely vacant…_

She glared at the stranger in front of her and shifted her gaze to her now empty quiver.

The man barked a laugh and strode forward, extending a hand. "Ryūji."

Kagome slapped his hand away, the name not registering. "Just who the hell do you think you are, coming onto my property and attacking me?"

Not waiting for a response, she leaned toward him, scowling and pointing her index finger accusingly. "You better have a damn good explanation for this, mister."

Her voice grew more and more shrill, yet the man's smirk simply widened.

"Ah, oops. Should've been more specific. Keikain Ryūji," he said, emphasizing his surname.

She felt her heart jump into her throat. "Kei…kain… Oh, _kami_ , I'm so sorry, Keikain-san! I'm Higurashi Kagome, and I didn't mean to be rude! It's just you're three hours early, and"—here Kagome narrowed her eyes and scowled again—"and not only did you lie about being lost…you also attacked me unprovoked."

" _Tch_. Call it a test. And, hey, you pass. But why would you contact the Keikain House regarding yokai research? You're a miko—go into town, you'll run into yokai everywhere." Ryūji eyed her suspiciously.

"What are you talking about? I need more materials than that, and besides, don't you think I've done that? I've yet to find any!"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Hmm… You're not weak, so I can only assume you're blind or stupid." Kagome made an indignant noise, and he shrugged. "Open your eyes, _onna_. No, _really_ open them. Remove whatever block or wall you've got preventing you from seeing reality. But that aside, just what the hell is _that_?" Ryūji thrust his hand toward Kagome's chest, pointing at her heart.

She averted her gaze. "It's…a long story. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Heh. You'd be surprised. But, whatever, your call." He reached into his cloak, and Kagome stiffened. "Calm down."

He withdrew his hand and tossed a business card at her. "You want access to our archives, right? And other Keikain-specific knowledge? Tell me your story. Or not. Up to you. I'll be in town for a week… Looking forward to your call, Kagome-chan."

He began to walk toward the shrine's exit and then paused, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Seriously, miko." His voice had lost its mocking tone. "You live in the same town as the Lord of Pandemonium, leader of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. There are more than enough yokai here for you to be aware of."

With that, he left, Kagome too stunned to respond.

 _There's that name again…_

Once her shock had worn off, anger and annoyance replaced it.

 _What an arrogant prick! Does he have any idea how rude that was? Or is he such a fucking high and mighty onmyoji that he thinks he's beyond common decency? Grrrrrr…_

 _Oh_ kami _, does that mean that…thing was a shikigami?_

Kagome shuddered. If that was the case, she was relieved she hadn't actively pursued that angle of using her powers. _Ick._

Then, she turned what he'd said over in her brain and considered his comment about her not looking hard enough or removing blocks.

She knew if she were being honest, he was right. She hadn't lowered her psychic walls nearly enough.

 _I'm afraid._

In fact, she hadn't done it much at all since she'd learned how to block it all out roughly eight years ago.

 _Okay, so I'm afraid. Of what?_

She laughed a humorless laugh. Oh, she knew good and damn well what she was scared of. It wasn't simply the psychic pain from being overwhelmed—that she was mostly skilled enough to tamp down on or filter.

No, what she was truly feared was actually encountering a yokai again. How would she react? How would they react? And what if it was someone she knew?

Who wouldn't know her.

Tears burned her eyes, and she scrubbed at them with hands clenched into fists. _Stupid, freaky-shikigami-using onmyoji asshole. I blame him for this._

Exhausted, she trudged to the house, where she took a lengthy bath and then collapsed into her childhood bed, figuring she had some time before Sōta would be home. Besides, her appetite had vanished.

Sighing in resignation, she dialed the number on the business card, leaving a message when it went to voice mail.

"Keikain-san, It's Kagome. I'll take you up on your offer. Call or text me what times are convenient for you. Thanks."

* * *

Ryūji listened to the voice mail as he walked toward the metro, feeling rather self-satisfied. He'd have given her the information she wanted eventually anyway, just so he didn't catch hell from Yura, though Kagome didn't know that.

But this was far more fun. And he found this little miko _most_ intriguing.

 _Maybe this week won't be so bad after all._

He wasn't particularly looking forward to meeting with the Nura clan, but that could wait. First, he was headed to see the medical examiner. Hopefully he could offer more insight into these crimes than those two bumbling lackwits who'd been put in charge of the murder and missing person cases.

A woman with fiery red hair leaving the station bumped into him, and his lips curled in a snarl. "Hey, watch it!"

When no apology came, he glanced back in the direction she'd been, only to find she'd already faded into the crowd.

 _Is it so fucking hard for people to watch where they're going? Moron._

He returned his thoughts to the situation at hand. If he were lucky, it'd turn out to be something completely mundane, and he could wrap this trip up without even having to deal with that pain in the ass yokai clan.

 _Heh. Fat chance of that happening._

He'd learned a long time ago to rely on his instincts.

And right now, his gut was telling him that whatever was going on in Ukiyoe Town was _not_ normal.

* * *

 **Authors Note:**  
Will Kagome actually tell Ryuji the true story? If she does, will he believe her? Is she ever going to learn the identity of the man she met in the library? Are my readers going to give up on Rikuo and Kagome ever meeting again and abandon me? Will my muse continue to be mostly cooperative? Some of these questions, though certainly not all, will be answered in upcoming chapters!

As always, reviews pay the muse bills.


	7. Chapter 6

I'm a tad surprised y'all haven't started giving me grief as though we were on a long road trip—"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we theeeeerrrrre yeeeeeettttt?" But the fact that y'all haven't makes me eternally grateful. As do all the reviews, favorites, and follows. Much love to you all!

To **CL** and **Tolazytologin** , thank you also for your kind reviews and support. I'm glad you both plan to stick around!

We're getting closer…

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"It's time to move on, time to get going  
What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing"  
– **Tom Petty** , "Time to Move On"

"We need never be hopeless because we can never be irreparably broken."  
– **John Green,** _Looking for Alaska_

* * *

She was back in the Sengoku era, standing outside some remote village she faintly remembered passing through during their journey.

 _How is this even possible?_

She looked down and saw that she was still clad in her pajamas, a pair of shorts and a thread-worn old T-shirt.

 _Ahh…of course. I'm dreaming._

She walked away from the village toward a hillside and found a place to sit overlooking a shallow creek in a little valley as the sun was beginning to set. She loved watching the sky transition from hazy blue, to deep golden, to the breathtaking brilliance of a sky painted purply-blue mixing with burgundy, flowing into pinkish-scarlet down to the burnt orange where the sun had just slipped below the horizon.

After a few minutes of watching dusk settle in and listening to the peaceful sounds of nature surrounding her, she realized that she wasn't usually alone in her dreams, unless it was the result of some kind of nightmare scenario.

 _It sure would be nice to have some company._

As if summoned by her thoughts, she heard footsteps crunching on the grass behind her. She turned around to see an older man with silver-streaked black hair approaching her. His golden eyes were a little tired, and his face more wrinkled—not to mention he was a lot more human than the last time she'd seen him—but there was no mistaking him.

She opened her mouth, but she couldn't get her voice to work around the golf ball–sized lump that had formed in her throat.

"Hey, long time no see. Want some company?" he asked as he flopped down on the grass beside her.

Kagome swallowed hard and blinked back tears. "You… You're…"

Inuyasha looked thoughtful for a moment and then gave her a goofy grin. "Keh. Should I look like this instead?"

His visage shimmered, and before her appeared the very familiar white-haired, dog-eared young man she hadn't seen in far too long.

Kagome startled. "Huh? But… But…"

He thumped her lightly on the forehead. "It's your dream, _baka_."

"Inuyasha!" She flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

 _I know it's just a dream, but it feels so real…_

Inuyasha patted her awkwardly on the back until she pulled away. Then, he rubbed the back of his neck for a moment before saying, "Look, I gotta talk to you."

"Okay…" Not exactly what she'd expected him to say, but then this dream wasn't like any she'd had before.

He stared at her for a long moment, as though sizing her up. For what, she couldn't say.

"I'm gonna be blunt."

When she interrupted him by doubling over and laughing, he looked a little chagrined. "Right, nothing you wouldn't expect, huh?"

Then his expression grew serious. "Anyway…me being blunt." He sighed. "Kagome, you need to move on. What's gonna happen when you keep walking forward, but you're looking back over your shoulder? At some point, you're going to trip and bust your ass or run into something."

She started to argue with him, but he held up a hand. "Nah, lemme finish. There's nothing wrong with checking behind you every once in a while, but you can't live your entire life looking over your shoulder and dwelling on the past."

Inuyasha paused, and then his lips twitched as if trying to suppress a smile. "Besides, as clumsy as you are… If you keep looking backward, you're definitely going to fall and break something."

She slapped at him playfully. "To be fair, you're not wrong. I mean, just the other day I tripped in the library and nearly fell on my face."

He peered at her speculatively and then said, "But you didn't fall on your face, did you? Somebody caught you, didn't they?"

Kagome gave a little gasp of surprise and stared at him.

Inuyasha shrugged and said, "You gotta have a little faith. Faith that somebody is going to be there to help you, that you're not going to fall, and it's going to be okay."

Her mouth fell open wide. "When did you get to be so wise? Now I _know_ this is definitely is a dream," she said, laughing.

He laughed with her and then said, "Well, the way I see it, you got a couple options—either you're right, and it's just a dream and your subconscious making all of this up… Or the years of parenting and then all that time to think on things in the afterlife had an impact on me."

One of the things he said registered, and she looked at him dubiously. "You're a parent? You?"

"Keh. I was a good dad, I'll have you know," he said.

Her throat tightened with emotion again, and her eyes burned a little bit. Seeing this, Inuyasha flapped his hands and his eyes widened in panic.

"Oh no, don't do that, dammit."

The tears spilled over, but they were mixed with giggles.

"At least some things never change," she said, giving a weak smile and rubbing at her eyes with the backs of her hands.

"Never did like when one of my girls cried," Inuyasha said gruffly, looking away awkwardly.

"Girls? Since when am I one of those?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Both of his brows raised in response. "Nuh-uh. Married life and having a daughter taught me when something's a trap…and that's a damn trap if I ever heard one."

He slapped a hand over his mouth. "Shit. There I go revealing more than I'm supposed to. Rules, ya know." He rolled his eyes. "But how'd you know if it wasn't just made up in your dream?"

Kagome shrugged, not entirely sure how to interpret his comments, and they chatted for a few minutes longer, Inuyasha remaining carefully vague about things that had happened after she'd left the Sengoku era. Then, something dawned on Kagome.

" _Matte_! I thought the jewel said you'd forget me!"

Inuyasha grinned. "Death has a funny way of lifting curses, ya know."

She nodded, feeling the prickle of tears of joy at being remembered.

 _I don't care if this is nothing more than a beautiful lie concocted by my subconscious. It feels so real. And so right._

Inuyasha looked distressed at seeing her eyes brimming with tears again, his ears pinning flat to his head, but before he could say anything, Kagome noticed his appearance growing translucent.

"Inuyasha… You're…um…fading," she said, pointing.

He looked down. "Damn. Out of time already."

Suddenly she found herself wrapped in a fierce hug.

"Tell Mitsu-obasan and Sōta I say hi." He paused and then chuckled. "Keh, guess your mom and brother might not believe it was actually me, huh?"

His arms, which were becoming so sheer they were hard to see, tightened around her. "It's gonna be okay, 'gome. Oh, and get that thing in your chest checked out, will ya?"

With that he was gone, and before she knew it, she was waking up in her childhood bedroom. Alone.

Kagome could no longer hold her emotions at bay. She burst into tears.

After a moment or two, the tears slowed, and she dried her face and eyes with her bedsheet. Then, tossing the covers back, she knelt on the floor and pulled a lockbox out from under her bed.

Scrolling the dials to the right combination, she lifted the lid, something she hadn't done in eight years. Inside were precious keepsakes she'd acquired at various points during her journey, remembrances of those she'd left behind.

There were a few small random items, such as swatches of fabric or an interesting rock she'd come across, but none were as prized as the pieces specifically from her dear friends.

Inuyasha's subjugation beads. How thrilled he'd been when she'd removed them.

A seashell-shaped container of medicinal salve from Sango. Kagome regretted never getting the recipe from her.

A whisker shed from Kirara, carefully wrapped in a piece of paper so that it wouldn't get lost.

An acorn and a leaf from Shippō, neither of which had decayed, something she chalked up to fox magic.

A handwritten _ofuda_ from Miroku, the paper still crisp and ink still vibrant despite the years passed, which she found odd but assumed perhaps it had something to do with it being imbued with Miroku's spiritual powers, sort of like Shippō's acorn and leaf.

Lastly, a dried and pressed flower given to her by Rin.

Kagome smiled and ran her fingertips gently over the keepsakes, her dream about Inuyasha still starkly vivid in her mind.

 _Could it really have been him?_

Though a tiny part of her objected and said it was completely unlikely, the majority of her argued it actually had been Inuyasha, or rather, Inuyasha's spirit visiting her in the dream realm.

She yawned and glanced at her alarm clock. 6:00 a.m. She really should attempt to go back to sleep, though she wasn't sure if it was even possible.

Closing the lockbox and replacing it under the bed, she crawled back into bed, determined to get at least a little bit more rest.

Kagome lay there for several minutes before flinging the sheets off. She was too parched and her mouth dry after crying to sleep. She'd just go get a glass of water and then try again.

She tiptoed down the stairs and into the kitchen, forgoing any lights. She filled a glass of water and took a couple sips, turning to creep quietly back upstairs when the kitchen light flicked on.

She yelped in surprise, sloshing water on the floor and herself.

"Kagome?"

"Oh, Mama, you startled me!"

Her mother looked at her in concern. "What are you doing up already? Are you having trouble sleeping again?"

"No…I…" Kagome paused and then said, "I dreamed about Inuyasha."

"Ah, I see," her mom said carefully. "Was it…bad?"

Kagome smiled as she grabbed a hand towel to pat herself dry from the spilled water. "No. No, actually, it was pretty good…just weird."

Her mom nodded, grabbing another towel and kneeling down to wipe up the small puddle on the floor.

She didn't know why she continued, but she did, explaining, "I watched the sunset, and he showed up, and we talked a little before he disappeared. He said to tell you and Sōta hi, by the way." She gave a wry grin briefly, but then it slipped away and her face grew pensive. "Think it was really him? His spirit, I mean?"

Her mother smiled warmly. "Who knows, Kagome? Stranger things have happened, you know. After all, you traveled through time!" A small giggle escaped her.

Kagome sighed audibly, and then, as though the admission was forced from her, said very softly, "I miss them."

Her mom looked up at her in surprise, eyes widening slightly. Though much better than it had been initially, Kagome still didn't speak about her friends from the other side of the well very often.

"I know you do, baby girl."

"It was my choice, and I made the right decision, it's just…" Kagome felt long-suppressed emotions bubbling up and clenched her fists. "It's just… I wish…"

Unable to verbalize what she was feeling, she let out an exasperated breath and turned to go back upstairs. Before she reached the door, a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Kagome, it's okay to be angry—you're allowed to be angry and to feel hurt."

She looked at her mom in confusion. "Angry? What do you mean? I'm not angry."

Her mom smiled faintly and said, "Sweetheart, the man who you loved chose another woman. No matter how much you try to rationalize what happened or tell yourself that it's okay, that it was the way things were meant to be, it still hurts."

Something inside Kagome cracked, and it was like a dam had broken and all the feelings of anguish and betrayal that she had hidden away so many years ago finally let loose. Sobs racked her body, and her mom held her, muttering soothing words while petting her hair and patting her back.

"Why, Mama? Kikyō gave her life for him—I know there's no way I could compete with that, but why? Why was I not good enough? What did I do wrong?"

"Oh, baby girl, you did nothing wrong. Although I can't answer those questions—I can only say that it wasn't meant to be. And I also know that hearing that doesn't take the pain away. But it's high time you acknowledge this. You've been bottling it up and denying it for too long. And while I hate to see my child in so much pain, I'm really glad that you're finally getting it out."

Kagome smiled weakly through her tears and hugged her mother tighter.

After a little while she said quietly, "The other thing that hurts, Mama, is I'm not sure if I loved him as much as I thought I did."

Her mom looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, it could be that you loved the idea of him. But you also need to remember that there are lots of different types of love. And young love, especially our first love, is a little idealistic, a bit naïve, and often willfully ignorant of any issues in the relationship. Still, that doesn't make it any less special."

Kagome nodded, and her mother continued. "But I can tell you one thing for sure—when you find the person that you are meant to be with, you won't have any doubts. And trust me when I say you want to find someone who will only look at you, who also won't have any doubts or divided attentions, and who _you_ won't hesitate to fight for."

"Do you really think so?" she asked skeptically.

Her mom gave her a cheerful smile and said, "Of course, sweetie. Your father wasn't the only man I dated, you know…"

Kagome couldn't help a laugh. "Thanks, Mama."

Her mom hugged her again. "It's going to be okay, baby girl. You're not alone, and even if you stumble, someone will be there to catch you. You are _not_ alone."

She jolted at the echoed sentiment from her dream, and she could only nod mutely. She knew Inuyasha and her mother were both right, but it was positively terrifying to consider taking steps down a new path in life.

Kagome's mom released her and gave her a gentle shove toward the doorway. "Now, go try to get some more sleep, and when you get up, I'll have breakfast ready for you, Sōta, and _jii-chan_. Off to bed with you!" her mom said, shooing her out the door and toward the stairway.

Surprisingly, Kagome felt like she might actually be able to snooze a bit.

 _Worth a try at least._

She dropped into her bed and pulled the covers over her head to ward off the inevitable morning sun. Then, for the first time in a very long time, she slept without dreaming.

* * *

She woke a few hours later to the sounds of her mom in the kitchen making breakfast and smiled. While she enjoyed her independence living alone, there was something very soothing and comforting about letting her mom take care of her from time to time.

Knowing she'd be called down for breakfast once it was ready, Kagome snuggled deeper into the covers. She thought briefly about the events of the past week, particularly meeting Library Guy—as she'd taken to calling him in her mind—and Keikain Ryūji.

She had a text from Onmyoji Asshole—how she'd entered him in her cell phone, and a moniker she was quite certain would piss him off thoroughly—indicating Monday was best for him and to name the time and place.

 _Gotta love that advance notice…_

Kagome shot back a quick reply, asking him to meet her at noon at a coffee shop on campus. She wasn't about to accommodate him; he could come to her.

As for Library Guy… Well, if she saw him again, great! If not, she wasn't going to pine over someone whose name she didn't even know, no matter how hot he was.

 _Really hot_ supplied that annoying little voice in her head unhelpfully.

She ignored it.

Since her mother hadn't summoned her for breakfast yet, she pulled up the paranormal investigation squad website on her phone, scanning the new forum posts instead of going into the general chat like she had done last time.

 _I am too sleepy and undercaffeinated for their level of yokai enthusiasm, which is saying something coming from me…_

She checked the dates and saw that there were at least ten that had either been newly commented on or posted within the last twelve hours:

 **Mysterious Pond**  
 **A possible kitsune encounter?**  
 **Sumting follownig me**  
 **Encounter with spirit – items stolen?**  
 **New EVP from abandoned mine**  
 **Ghostly Thief in Ukiyoe Town?**  
 **Help! Gaosts in my room!**  
 **New here**  
 **Tanuki? Ukiyoe Town?**  
 **Cursed object – help pls**

She opted to skip the ones with typos or poor spelling. She knew it was an unfair bias, but…

 _They should really know it destroys all credibility on their part._

She was intrigued, though, by what appeared to be a trend—a trickster type, perhaps a kitsune or a tanuki, pilfering people's belongings somewhere in Ukiyoe Town. Kagome decided to start with the so-called kitsune encounter:

"Hello! I've always been really attuned to supernatural creatures and sensitive to spirits. And I've had a lot of unexplained things happen to me in the past. For example, when I was five years old…"

She sighed. Not only was " **gohansgurl** " long-winded, but it also appeared they had no clue what a paragraph was, as it was all one massive—and very lengthy—block of text. She skimmed it as quickly as possible, scrolling down until finally, at the bottom, she found a hint of what she was looking for:

"…in 9th Street Park walking through, had a strange-looking yokai steal my grandmother's bracelet right off my wrist! I was totally in shock…"

The writer went off on a tangent after that, and Kagome, frustrated by the rather misleading subject line, went back to the other posts.

The "Encounter with spirit – items stolen?" post was far shorter, a bit unfortunately so. All it said was "paranormal encounter in random park in Ukiyoe Town—spirit stole my textbook. Anyone know anything about this?" No one had replied, but she noted the post was from 4 a.m. today.

"Ghostly Thief" and "Mysterious Pond" were more of the same—jewelry stolen off their person in a park in Ukiyoe Town, though the "Mysterious Pond" poster added that they thought the spirit had said something like "get out of here" before stealing the item.

 _That's strange… A territorial yokai? Or yurei?_

She wasn't sure, but aside from the textbook, the items were jewelry, so she was still wondering about kitsune or tanuki, knowing they did like their shiny objects. **(1)**

With that in mind, she clicked on "Tanuki? Ukiyoe Town?"

"I work third shift, and on my way to work two days ago, I had of all things my lunch stolen from me as I cut through 9th Street Park. I was so caught off guard I didn't get a good look at who or what it was, but it seemed like whatever did it disappeared into the pond. I'm not particularly superstitious or anything but it was after dark and I was the only one around, to my knowledge. My wife thinks it must've been a tanuki, but I'm not so sure. Anyone have a clue?"

Kagome's interest was fully piqued by now. The anecdotes didn't give her enough to go on to guess what kind of yokai it was, but she felt certain it _was_ a yokai.

A grin found its way to her lips. She didn't know if it was meeting Ryūji, the dream with Inuyasha, or the talk with her mom—likely a combination of all three—but she felt simultaneously more resolved and more carefree than she had in years. She would open her eyes, and mind, and move forward.

Starting with investigating that mysterious yokai in the 9th Street Park!

* * *

 **Footnote:  
** **1.** I have absolutely no idea if tanuki and kitsune yokai like shiny things. So don't quote me on that. However, in this universe, they do. Why? "Because I said so!"

 **Author's Note:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know we didn't get any Rikuo action, but perhaps you'll be appeased by the brief appearance of a different guy with partial demon heritage.  
Real life has been making the muse a bit flighty…but hopefully this next chapter won't take too long. I know what I want to happen…it's just making it happen… Damn chapters won't write themselves :-)


	8. Chapter 7

Though the stubborn wench still persists in giving me inspiration nonlinearly, the muse has stuck around, and for that I am massively appreciative to y'all, my fearless readers (*groan* did I really just make that bad pun? oh yes, I did.). Your support is amazing, and as Harry Dresden would say, my gast is pretty well flabbered.

Additional appreciation and thank-yous to those I can't reply to— **catlyn** , **Alice** , and **guests** —as well as all who've favorited and followed.  
Also, kudos to **Insan3AnimeBurrito** for correctly guessing who the mysterious yokai is :-)

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth  
Unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep."  
 **–John Milton** , _Paradise Lost_

"'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,' he used to say. 'You step into the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.'"  
 **–** **J.R.R. Tolkien** _Lord of the Rings_

* * *

Sunday morning dawned gray and overcast, and despite Kagome's hope that it would clear off, the clouds lingered throughout the day. However, no rain had actually fallen by early evening, which made Kagome happy as she planned to walk home from Ukiyoe Town after visiting 9th Street Park.

She'd spent the day helping Sōta and her grandfather out with chores around the shrine, the other shrine volunteers they normally had off for the day. Though Sōta had not fully committed to taking over for her grandfather when he retired, _jii-chan_ persisted in training him. Kagome personally believed eventually Sōta would do it, but for now it seemed he enjoyed tormenting their grandfather with his indecision. Both Kagome and her mom did their best to stay out of it.

A little before sunset—not that the sun had come out for any length of time that day—Kagome prepared for her excursion on her way home.

"Mama? Where's my overnight bag and my clothes from yesterday?"

Her mom called back from downstairs, "I washed your clothes, but they're not dry yet." Before Kagome could say anything about having to make an extra trip back to the shrine, her mother added, "I'll send them over with Sōta, so you don't have to make a special trip."

Sōta grumbled something about not being the family errand boy, but quieted down when his mother gave him a sharp look.

Kagome checked the paranormal investigation site one last time for any updates on the mysterious thieving yokai. None of the comments on the posts she'd read that morning added anything vital, though a few new posts about vampires caught her eye. She made a mental note to check them later; perhaps there would be something she could use in her "Folklore and Mythology in Popular Culture" class.

She glanced around her bedroom. _I guess all I need is my purse then._

Slinging it over her shoulder, she headed downstairs to tell her family good-bye. Her mother met her at the bottom of the steps.

"Oh, Kagome, it looks like it might rain tonight. Make sure you take an umbrella."

"I don't have one with me, Mama—I didn't expect it to rain today, not this time of year."

Her mother clucked her tongue, likely at Kagome's failure to check the daily forecast, something her mother did each time she had an excursion. "Just a second." Her mom disappeared into her bedroom and came back with something in her hand. An umbrella.

"I'll let you borrow this, sweetheart, but make sure you don't lose it. This was a gift from your father, and not only that, it's a very nice umbrella!" Her mother gave her a luminescent smile, eyes crinkling.

"Thank you, Mama! Don't worry, I'll be careful. Hopefully I won't even need it!" She smiled at her mom and tucked the umbrella under her arm. "Oh, and if I find a cat for you, I could pick up my clothes when I bring the cat—then Sōta wouldn't have to fool with it."

Sōta was engrossed in something on T.V., but hearing that, he turned and gave her a thumbs-up and a quick wave good-bye before returning to whatever it was he was watching.

Her grandfather hugged her and said, "Come back to see us more often… You're my favorite granddaughter, you know."

Kagome groaned. " _Jii-chan_ …I'm your only granddaughter."

He only shrugged in response, and she gave one last wave to her mom and grandfather as she made her way out of the shrine.

She'd just disappeared down the steps when Shigeru said "Oh, drat!" and smacked his hand on his forehead.

Mitsu looked questioningly at her father-in-law. "Everything all right?"

His bushy eyebrows drew into a deep gray V as he frowned slightly. "Mmm…I forgot to tell Kagome that some friends of hers from college stopped by the other day."

Mitsu smiled. "I'm sure they'll get in touch with her. Who was it?"

Shigeru spread his hands wide in front of him. "Not a clue. A lovely young girl with some young man accompanying her. She was quite interested in my stories about the shrine's history."

Shaking her head, Mitsu gave a soft giggle. Of course _that_ would be the part he remembered.

* * *

As Kagome exited the metro station and headed toward her destination, she noticed a shift in the air from when she'd left the shrine. The clouds had grown thicker, and the air was damp and heavy. The wind had picked up and brought with it that distinctive scent that heralded rain.

 _Good thing Mama lent me her umbrella…_

She checked a street sign to confirm that she was indeed in Ukiyoe Town and on 9th Street, and then, for the first time in quite a while, she extended her senses.

It was like getting hit by a freight train, and her mind screamed at her to stop. She ignored it and pressed forward despite the accompanying wave of nausea and throbbing pain in her temple.

Kagome waded through the cacophony of energies—many, many of which she was shocked to discover were indeed youki.

 _Looks like Ryūji was right. Damnit._

With rusty skills desperately needing refinement, she finally found a thread of one close by. Narrowing in on it and shielding as best she could to the rest, she attempted to trace the youki, only to lose her psychic grasp on it after a few minutes.

 _Guess I could use a little practice…though it's not exactly like tracking youki signatures was in the miko curriculum._

Figuring 9th Street couldn't be _that_ long, Kagome wandered along the road until she came upon a little public garden with a small pond, which presumably was the park the people on the yokai forum had mentioned.

Still trying to sense the youki tendril she'd lost, she finally realized there was similar youki, if not the same, emanating from within the pond itself. She was confused—perhaps it wasn't a kitsune or tanuki?

 _Maybe you let wishful thinking cloud your judgment_ , her inner critic added snidely.

She shoved the thought away, annoyed because that probably was _exactly_ what had happened.

Kagome approached the pond slowly, glancing around furtively, but there were no other people, or yokai, visible.

She had gotten just close enough to see her reflection when something rose up out of the water, the splash audible and spraying her with droplets of pond water.

 _Ew._

Wiping her face, she eyed the apparition before her. Had she not encountered more terrifying things in the Sengoku era, she would have found it quite frightening. As it was, it startled her enough for her reiki to spike instinctually before she tamped it down a split second later.

The specter's emaciated body resembled a desiccated corpse and was draped in a tattered white kimono. Limp black hair framed a gaunt pallid face, and its eyes, though open, had threads over them as though they'd been stitched closed at some point. Bony clawlike fingers reached for her, grasping, while it moaned, "Leave it and gooooo… Leave it and go!"

 _A-ha. How that moron online got "get out of here" from that, I have no idea._

Squaring her shoulders, Kagome started to address the yokai when its skeletal fingers closed over her umbrella.

Its mouth stretched in a grotesque parody of a smile. "This looks precious to you, yesssss. Leave it and go!"

 _Oh shit. It's one of_ those _kinds of yokai. Its territory, its rules. I guess with this one, you'll lose an object of value or importance to you…_

Her mind replayed the conversation she'd had with her mother before she'd left the shrine.

"Hey, give that back, damnit! It's not even mine—don't you want something of mine?" she said, panic beginning to rise within her. Her mother was going to kill her.

The yokai shook its head, unnerving grin still in place, and started to disappear back into the pond.

Kagome cursed and stamped her foot in frustration. "Wait! Get back here!" Clearly ignoring her, it had all but the tip of its head submerged beneath the pond's surface. "Shit… At least give me something in return, you thieving bastard!" she snapped, picking up a rock and lobbing it into the now empty pond.

Unexpectedly, an object came flying at her out of the water, and she scrambled to catch it. Succeeding, albeit barely, she looked down at what she'd gotten in exchange for her mother's irreplaceable umbrella.

It did nothing to quell her anger.

"A pipe?" _What the fuck good does this do me?_

Kagome kicked at rocks along the edge of the pond, feeling both annoyed at being tricked by the yokai and guilty for losing the umbrella her father had given her mother.

 _Oh well, nothing I can do about it now._

Shoving the pipe into her purse, she heaved a sigh and slowly trudged in the direction of her apartment, less thrilled by her first yokai experience since the Sengoku era than she'd hoped.

No sooner had she reached the street corner near the park than she felt something hit her head. And then her arm.

She tilted her face upward, and another drop struck her cheek.

The rain that had been so elusive all day long had finally showed up. Just in time for her to have her umbrella stolen.

 _Great. Exactly what I needed…a long walk home in the rain._

* * *

Rikuo was returning home from Tōnō, having managed to convince Itaku to let him leave before Sunday night by saying he'd train via maintaining his yokai form on the way.

He'd been somewhat surprised when Zen had said he was staying a bit longer in Tōnō, that he wanted to spend some time with Itaku and then had business to attend to at Yakuzen Hall before returning to the Nuragumi Main House.

 _I can't say I ever imagined Zen would want to befriend Itaku, but whatever._ Rikuo shrugged. He'd long since stopped trying to predict his sworn brother's behavior.

He was back in Ukiyoe Town, though still several blocks from the house, when he felt a short burst of familiar reiki nearby.

 _Kagome?_

Suppressing his Fear and keeping to the shadows so as not to be seen, he tracked the energy source to 9th Street Park, just in time to see Oitekebori snatch her umbrella.

Rikuo heard her say something angrily to Oitekebori and chuck a rock at the pond. He choked back a laugh—she certainly was feisty. And he was intrigued by the fact that although she definitely was capable of hurting the yokai before her, she made no moves to do so at all.

 _Interesting… A miko who doesn't seal or purify all yokai?_

He watched Oitekebori toss something at her, what he couldn't tell, and then she left the park, shoulders slumped in defeat. Seeing her like that bothered him, though Rikuo couldn't have explained why.

And when the fat raindrops started to fall, his mind was made up.

"Hey, Oitekebori, get your ass up here," he said, poking the toe of his sandal at the surface of the water.

The spectral yokai popped up with a splash, her head lolling to the side as she peered at him curiously. " _Sandaime_?"

"Hand over the umbrella."

Oitekebori's bony jaw clenched, and she averted her gaze. "What umbrella?"

Rikuo raised an eyebrow. " _Tch_. Don't pull that crap with me. You know damn well what umbrella I'm talking about."

Her expression grew sly. "Do you have something more interesting for me?"

"If you try to take Nenekirimaru again, I won't hesitate to kill you."

If possible, she paled slightly but persisted. "No…something _else_."

He sighed. He'd learned a few years ago that besides loving to steal away whatever looked valuable to someone, Oitekebori had a penchant for sweets. Somehow the twerpy little ghost knew he had sweets from Tōnō with him, which he'd intended to give to his grandfather.

"Like this?" He held out the parcel he'd had stashed in his kimono sleeve.

Oitekebori's eyes brightened. "Oooo, yessss, Rikuo-sama. Leave it and go!" Her bony fingers groped at the package, but he yanked it out of reach.

"Nope. Give me the umbrella first."

Kagome's umbrella flew at his face so fast he almost didn't see it in time. As his free hand closed around the projectile, Oitekebori snatched the sweets from his other hand and vanished into the pond with a wet _plop_.

This time he didn't resist and laughed out loud. "Greedy, aren't you?" _Guess I'll see if Zen can bring some more for_ jiji _when he comes back. Wouldn't want to disappoint the old man._

Using his Fear to once more disappear into the shadows, he followed after Kagome. Now he just had to figure out how to return her umbrella without her seeing him.

* * *

Kagome's luck had held out for almost two blocks, the rain merely light so far, and she was mercifully not soaked to the skin.

However, as the wind blew a little more fiercely, the drops that descended were larger and faster. She ducked under a storefront awning, watching the sudden downpour pelt the sidewalk.

 _I'll just wait here till it lets up—surely it won't last that long._

As fate would have it, she was half right. The torrential rain _did_ let up, but unfortunately it only lessened to a steady shower.

To top it off, for the last minute or so, she'd had the uneasy feeling that someone was watching her.

 _Or some_ thing _._

Kagome tried to sense whether there was a yokai close by, but with so much youki around and her training at locating a single energy signature sorely lacking, not to mention her growing fatigue, she couldn't tell for sure.

Suddenly, a shiver ran down her spine and her flesh prickled with goose bumps. The energy in the air shifted, and Kagome felt a presence behind her.

She whirled around to nothing but an empty sidewalk, the aura she'd sensed gone.

 _Thwump!_

She jumped and swallowed a screech as her mother's umbrella dropped at her feet.

 _What the hell?_

Grabbing it and holding it to her chest, Kagome glanced around the vacant street. Then, out of nowhere, the youki returned and a whisper tickled her ear.

"Stay safe—and dry—miko-chan."

The presence vanished as instantly as it had appeared, and Kagome was left truly alone on the sidewalk, her heart thundering against her chest.

Nerves frayed and anxious reiki skittering across her skin, Kagome took a deep breath to slow her heart rate and forced her powers back under control. Then, she popped the umbrella open and hurried home.

There, she changed out of her slightly damp clothes, mentally thanking whatever that was for returning her mother's umbrella.

 _I don't know what the hell happened back there, or who or what that was, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth._

Not to mention there was the matter of identifying the yokai in the park. Grabbing several of the books she'd either bought or checked out from the library, Kagome flipped through them until she spotted it.

 _Oitekebori_.

She had to wonder what had prompted the yokai to shift from its traditional pattern of haunting fishermen or canals, but with the safe return of her mother's umbrella, she was finding the encounter less dissatisfying than she had earlier.

After all, she'd done what she'd set out to do—find a yokai in modern times. And though it hadn't been a friend or particularly friendly, it also hadn't attacked her maliciously.

 _There are still yokai. And I found one! Well, if you count the one who returned the umbrella, technically I found_ two _. And nothing bad happened._

Giddiness mingled with relief washed over her. _Nothing bad happened._ Success, finally.

Then, a sudden thought occurred to her. _The pipe!_

Pulling the object out of her purse, Kagome examined it. It was pretty, for a pipe, and appeared old, as well as definitely used. She didn't sense any kind of supernatural presence or power from it, and she shrugged, placing it on a bookshelf.

Thinking about the yokai encounter had her recalling her upcoming meeting with Ryūji, and as she fixed herself dinner to placate her growling stomach, she mulled over just what she was going to tell him tomorrow.

Neither cooking nor eating offered any answers, and she ultimately decided that the irritating onmyoji wasn't worth the mental fatigue he was causing.

 _I'll figure it out_. _Tomorrow_.

* * *

Rikuo ensured Kagome made it safely out of Ukiyoe Town, resisting the urge—barely—to see that she made it safely home as well.

 _Don't be a stalker, idiot_.

Something niggled at the back of his mind about their encounter. Something about her aura had been… _off._ But he couldn't quite put his finger on _what_ it was.

 _Who knows, maybe it was my imagination._ The puzzle that was Higurashi Kagome kept getting more and more complex.

He was a little over a block from the clan main house when the rustle of feathers announced Sasami's arrival before she landed on the pavement next to him.

"Welcome home, Rikuo-sama."

"Yo, Sasami. Everything all right?"

She nodded. Then, "So, was that your miko?" she asked innocently.

"Oi, oi…she's not _my_ miko. I don't even know her." He paused and then frowned. "Damnit, Karasu Tengu. I told him I would handle it."

Sasami shrugged. "You know how my father is. Did you _really_ think he wouldn't investigate something he perceived as a threat to you or the clan?"

Rikuo sighed. The little crow yokai was protective of the clan and loyal to a fault. "Good point. So how'd you know she was here?"

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Seriously? It might have been brief, but that reiki flare was noticeable by any yokai in a ten-block radius. If not further."

Which made sense. After all, it was how he'd known she was there.

"Kurōmaru wanted to give her a ticket, but I convinced him to let it go."

"A ticket? You've got to be kidding…what would he cite her for?"

Sasami's violet eyes twinkled behind her glasses, and the corners of her lips curved up slightly. "Unauthorized use of reiki within city limits."

Rikuo snorted. "Are you serious?"

" _Sandaime_ , this is my brother we're talking about. He's ticketed yokai for 'nighttime loitering.'" **(1)**

A valid argument. Kurōmaru occasionally took after his father a little _too_ much.

They were inches from the main house gate when Kubinashi popped out of the shadows.

"So, Rikuo-sama… That wouldn't happen to have been the girl from the library you mentioned the other day, would it?" An impish grin spread across Kubinashi's floating face.

"Wait, how did you… When did you start following me?" Rikuo asked, surprised and faintly chagrined that he hadn't noticed. _Damn but she has a way of ruining my focus…_

"I've told you—you've got nothing on your father," Kubinashi said, still grinning. "Sooo…that her?"

Before Rikuo could reply, Sasami answered helpfully, "Yes, that was Rikuo-sama's miko, the one he met at the library."

"Oi! Damnit, I said she's _not_ my miko!"

Kejōrō poked her head out the clan gates. "Rikuo-sama has a miko?"

Rikuo groaned and dragged a hand down his face. It was going to be a long night…

* * *

 **Footnote:**  
 **1.** Alludes to a scene in chapter 58 of the manga (also where Oitekebori first appears).

 **Author's Note:** Well, there you have it, folks! The long-awaited Rikuo/Kagome interaction. Wait, what are you doing? No throwing rotten produce! Jeeze. No sense of humor.  
If all things go according to plan (oh good, I've jinxed myself), you _should_ see them finally meet in the next chapter. Maybe.  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :-)


	9. Chapter 8

I should really say something witty and clever about yesterday's eclipse, but my brain is jello. Not sure if it's from editing, or writing, or the godforsaken summer weather. Don't know about y'all, but I'm so ready for fall/autumn and winter.

Thank you all for your patience, and a quick thank you to those reviewers I can't reply to— **Tolazytologin** , **Guest** , and **animefan** —I appreciate it!

I hope y'all enjoy chapter eight—despite its resistance to being written, it was actually fun to write.  
A note about the timeline, for those of you keeping track: this chapter takes place on the Monday following their initial meeting at the library.

* * *

No quotes this chapter; the muse said no, and who am I to argue with her excellency? 

* * *

"Shit! I'm going to be late!" Kagome yelped when she rolled over and glanced at her alarm clock.

Leaping out of bed, nearly falling flat on her face in the process when her legs tangled in the sheets, she dashed around her apartment like the quintessential frantic headless chicken.

 _Thank_ kami _I showered last night!_

Throwing on clean clothes and pulling her hair into a ponytail, she grabbed her purse and backpack and locked the door behind her. Then she hopped on her bike and hurried toward campus.

 _I'll grab breakfast and something caffeinated—assuming I have time—once I get there._

In her frenzied attempt to arrive on time, Kagome completely forgot that she still needed to come up with a solution for what to tell Ryūji.

* * *

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I agree to tell him?_

Trudging reluctantly from the humanities building toward the café, Kagome mentally beat her head against a wall. A peek at her watch told her that she had eight minutes to come up with something to say.

 _Maybe he won't show up?_ Hah. Yeah, right. If her brief meeting with him at the shrine was any indication, he'd be there, on time, and would derive immense pleasure from her discomfort. The odds of her stalling for time with idle chitchat were slim as well.

No, she had to tell him something…but what?

Kagome gnawed on her lip as she pondered the best way to handle it, occasionally nearly colliding with other pedestrians so lost in thought was she.

 _Be vague_. Vague and noncommittal while remaining as close to the truth as possible without revealing too much was her best bet.

She just hoped that would be satisfactory enough.

* * *

After texting Rikuo to meet him across the street from the campus coffee shop at 12:30, Ryūji met Kagome at the agreed-upon location.

He had gotten precious little sleep the night before and then unsettling news that morning, and as a result, he was working his way into a foul mood. So once they were seated and had their beverages, he wasted no time getting to the point.

"Well? Spit it out."

"It's a curse. Some…old friends and I destroyed a cursed object, and as it was dying, if you can call it that, it cursed me. Supposedly I'll now live as long as a yokai and outlive all my friends and family." She fiddled with her napkin briefly and then thrummed her fingers on the table, staring at him and clearly waiting for his response.

The story wasn't too farfetched. In his cursory research about her prior to arriving in Tokyo, Ryūji had read that her family's shrine was known for handling curses. **(1)** "But your friends aren't cursed? Where are they now?" he asked.

Her gaze shifted away from his. "We…kind of drifted apart and no longer keep in touch."

He considered the woman sitting in front of him. Even to a man like Ryūji, with the emotional sensitivity of a rock, obvious anguish had fleetingly shown on her face when he'd asked about her friends, before her expression had returned to carefully neutral. Something about her story, and the way she was avoiding making eye contact, didn't sit well with him.

"You're lying. Or intentionally leaving out important details," he said bluntly.

He'd expected her to react with anger or denial. Instead, she gave a halfhearted shrug and rolled her eyes.

"Told you that you wouldn't believe me." Her lips twisted in a mocking smile. "Shall I spice it up for you? Add in time travel or epic romance?"

Ryūji snorted. " _Baka_. As if that would make it more believable."

The corners of her mouth angled down slightly before she took a deep breath and exhaled audibly.

"So do I get my research materials now or what?" she asked, irritation creeping into her tone. "I upheld my end of the bargain."

 _A tough nut to crack, this one._ He was positive she was hiding something, and it was starting to annoy him.

"Hah, not like you had much to tell. Plus, why haven't you tried to break the curse?"

" _Baka_ ," she mimicked and frowned. "Have you noticed how tightly linked it is with my aura? How deeply imbedded it is, as though it's actually in my heart? Would _you_ run the risk of killing yourself?"

Ryūji shook his head slightly. Despite being an onmyoji, he did have a rather healthy sense of self-preservation.

That being said…

"I still think you're lying about _something_ or leaving things out. See, there's proof!" He gestured to a cat sitting outside, who was rubbing its face with its paws. "A cat washing its face is a sign that someone is lying." **(2)**

She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. "Please. As if I haven't heard nearly every superstition and old wives' tale from my grandfather. That is _not_ what that supposedly means, and I'm _not_ lying, though you certainly are."

Now, there was the anger he'd anticipated earlier, which amused him. Looked like little miss miko didn't appreciate people bending the truth. Not that he believed there was any truth to the old wives' tales.

She tapped her finger on the tabletop impatiently. "My research materials?"

Ryūji reached into his bag and tossed a manila package across the table.

"You'll find copies of the materials you requested, or at least what we had information about, plus log-in info for our digital archives. But I gotta ask, aside from the whole shrine-maiden-priestess thing, why yokai?"

He watched as she hugged the packet to her chest, a defensive gesture if he'd ever seen one.

 _Yep, definitely hiding something. But what?_

Kagome gave him a bright smile, one that looked a little too practiced for his liking. "Aside from that? Isn't that enough? I mean, Keikain-san, not everyone inherits unusual miko powers, grows up hearing stories about yokai, and then gets cursed, you know," she said breezily before looking down to examine her tea.

Ryūji arched an eyebrow at her, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "Uh-huh… I'm not fucking stupid, _onna_ —I know you're hiding something. About that curse and those friends—"

The weight of a hand on his shoulder set his chair back on all four legs with a clatter, breaking into his impending interrogation.

"Keikain-san! Long time no see! What brings you to Tokyo?"

Ryūji whipped around, and Nura Rikuo smiled cheerfully at him, though the grip on his shoulder tightened to just this side of painful. Then, his brown eyes flicked to Ryūji's tablemate, and he shook his head almost imperceptibly.

Ryūji jerked his shoulder away. " _Tch_. Business."

"Sure, sure, what else? Oi, who's this?" Rikuo said, pulling out a chair and plopping down at their table.

"Nura Rikuo, meet Higurashi Kagome," he said flatly, annoyed at the interruption.

 _Trust Nurarihyon's grandson to intrude at the most inopportune time. Pain in my ass like always._

Kagome's head popped up, and she stared at Rikuo.

"Ah, Kagome-chan. I didn't recognize you at first." Rikuo grinned. "Maybe it's because you're not falling at my feet?"

 _What the hell?_

Ryūji was surprised to see Kagome flush bright scarlet to the tips of her ears.

"Th-that's not what happened at all! I tripped!"

Ryūji massaged the bridge of his nose and between his eyes, feeling a headache coming on.

 _For fuck's sake. Stupid girl claims she can't find any yokai, yet she's met this guy? And they're flirting?_

He shoved back from the table and stood. "Well, looks like we're done here, for now, and I've got more important things to do."

Then Ryūji leaned towards Kagome, voice pitched low. "I'll be in touch, and you can finish telling me that oh-so-interesting story of yours."

Grumbling under his breath to himself about annoying demons and clueless mikos, he left.

* * *

Kagome heaved a sigh of relief as Ryūji left.

 _Looks like he—Rikuo?—saved me yet again._

She must've smiled because the man tilted his head at her quizzically and asked, "Something funny?"

"Oh! Not really, well, maybe… I'm just, um, finding it a bit amusing you've helped me out twice now, and I've only now learned your name. Apologies for my rudeness at the library, Nura-san."

He nodded, and one side of his mouth lifted in a half smile that sent nervous flutters to her stomach. "Just Rikuo, please." He angled his head in the direction Ryūji had gone. "So how do you two know each other?"

Kagome gestured with the large manila envelope in her hands. "We don't, really. He was just helping me with some research—I only met him recently."

 _Thankfully today he wasn't attacking me…_

Her brows furrowed in irritation, and she wrinkled her nose in distaste. As neither was a conscious, voluntary action, it came as a surprise when Rikuo burst out laughing.

"I see you're less than fond of him. He certainly has that effect on people."

Kagome couldn't resist asking, "So how do you know him?"

He shrugged. "We ran around in some of the same circles in junior high and high school. I wouldn't say we were ever really _close_." Then he pointed at the envelope she held. "You mentioned research?"

"For an independent study I'm working on." She paused, not sure that she wanted to disclose the exact nature of what she was working on.

 _If he finds out you're obsessed with yokai, you'll scare him off_.

Wait a minute. Since when was she worried about scaring him off?

 _Since he made your stomach do those jittery flip-flops. And the fact that he's got that sexy little smirk-smile thing going._

She ignored that wretchedly disloyal little voice and finished her response to Rikuo. "It's on folklore and mythology and whatnot. I'm majoring in history and comparative lit, so I love this kind of thing." She waved her hand dismissively, hoping he wouldn't press the subject.

"Oh? What's—"

He stopped speaking suddenly and pulled out his cell phone. He swiped the screen and frowned at it slightly before looking up at Kagome.

"Ah, I'm sorry about this—I forgot I've got a meeting at 12:30. But maybe we could do this again sometime? Except intentionally, and without ill-tempered onmyojis." His lips curved in that lopsided half smirk again, his deep brown gaze holding her captive momentarily.

"Oh! Yes, I'd like that." Kagome felt her cheeks heat and wondered if her entire body and mind had decided to conspire against her around this man.

"Pen?" He grabbed a napkin and, taking the pen she offered, jotted down a number. Standing, he handed it to her and grinned alluringly. "Text me, 'kay?"

Since apparently her tongue had joined the mutiny and was currently glued to the roof of her mouth, she just nodded and returned the wave he offered as he departed.

 _Kagome – 0, Rikuo – 2 in the game of "can he render her speechless?" Fan-fucking-tastic,_ she thought wryly.

Now all she had to do was figure out how long was socially appropriate to wait before texting him.

* * *

When Rikuo had seen her meeting with Ryūji, he'd grown suspicious. He and Yura's older brother had reached an understanding, but Rikuo wasn't so foolish as to completely let his guard down around the forked-tongued onmyoji.

Kagome had seemed both genuinely irritated with Ryūji and surprised by Rikuo's appearance, which was somewhat of a relief. Assuming, of course, that it wasn't all an act.

He wanted to learn more about her—for the well-being of the Nura clan, that is—and had initially planned to only observe her from a distance. However, after doing so following the Oitekebori incident and then watching her with Ryūji today, the clandestine approach had left a bad taste in Rikuo's mouth.

It felt wrong…

 _Perhaps because it's stalkerish?_

After today's encounter, he found himself actively enjoying her presence and figured as long as he kept his guard up, there was no reason he couldn't do his investigating in person.

Far more pleasant—for the both of them, he hoped—and less, well, creepy stalker.

Scanning the pedestrians, he spotted the man he was seeking walking along the road not too far from the coffee shop, and Rikuo fell in step behind Ryūji.

"Yo."

Ryūji slowed to a stop. "I wondered how long it would take you to show up."

"Unlike you, I actually strive to be polite, and it would hardly have been good manners to ignore Kagome."

Ryūji slanted his gaze at Rikuo. "Uh-huh. Looked less like proper etiquette and more like flirting from where I was sitting."

He didn't rise to the bait, opting instead to change the topic. "So last week two mangled bodies were found near Ukiyoe Town. And then we got a notice that one of the Keikain would be in town assisting in a police investigation. I'm assuming the two are connected."

The onmyoji smirked. "Aren't you a smart yokai?" Then, he thrust some papers at Rikuo. "Here, take a look at these."

Rikuo took them, realizing as he started to read that they were police reports—murder/homicide and missing persons.

He flipped through them quickly, absorbing information about the locations of the bodies, victim information—when available—evidence, autopsy results, forensic analysis, and other miscellaneous details that all added up to the local law enforcement being totally stumped.

He, on the other hand, had a sinking suspicion he knew exactly what was going on.

Particularly since a _minor_ detail in the reports hadn't been disclosed to the media.

Ryūji was watching him and spoke once he'd finished reading. "Word on the street is they're vampires."

Rikuo scoffed. "Surely you don't believe that nonsense."

The man rolled his eyes, but Rikuo sensed a hint of uncertainty from him.

"Ho? The master cynic of Keikain House believes in Dracula?"

His face a mask of disgust, Ryūji spat, " _Tch._ You of all people should know not to discount rumors entirely. But no, I don't buy into the shitty horror movie blood-sucking fiends from beyond the grave bullshit. However, last year a group of vampiric yokai from the Philippines wound up on Yaeyama Islands, and those bastards were a real bitch to get rid of because the idiot local onmyojis ignored it for too long. Which is why we Keikain decided—"

"To see if this was legit, and if so, deal with it before it got out of hand," Rikuo finished, resuming their slow meander toward the subway to return to Ukiyoe Town. "Am I right?"

Ryūji nodded.

"It goes without saying that their missing livers is concerning," Rikuo said. The thought of yokai in his territory using ikigimo to garner power disgusted him, for more than one reason. **(3)**

Ryūji said nothing, but Rikuo could almost hear what he was thinking. _If it goes without saying, why are you saying it?_

Without breaking his stride, he gestured to the files Ryūji had given him. "This all they've—we've—got to go on?"

Ryūji's brows furrowed, and Rikuo got the distinct impression he was debating on whether to disclose further information. Ryūji was always contentious, but today he was more irritable than normal, if that was even possible.

As a result, Rikuo too was quickly growing irritated. _He has that effect on people…_ he thought, recalling his short conversation with Kagome. Thinking of her subdued his rising annoyance somewhat.

"Look, Ryūji. I get that you don't really like me—"

"As a general rule, onmyoji _don't_ like yokai," Ryūji interrupted, lips twisting in a sneer. Then he sighed deeply and ran a hand through his already messy hair, some of the tension leaving him. "Tokyo PD found another body a little ways outside Ukiyoe Town this morning," he said quietly, though there were few other pedestrians on the street with them.

"Same as the others?"

"No. This victim had no missing organs, but… She'd been drained of every last drop of blood."

Rikuo glanced at the edgy man walking alongside him. "Hmm…but the vampire rumors started prior to this morning?" Ryūji nodded. "So I can only assume that the reason you're in such a piss-poor mood is because you don't have any leads, particularly with today's new evidence," Rikuo said.

When the only response he got from the onmyoji was " _Tch_ ," Rikuo knew he'd hit the nail on the head.

"One of our contacts in Kyoto says as far as they can tell, none of Hagoromo Gitsune's yokai are involved," Rikuo said, knowing Ruyji had little, if any, friendly contact with the Kyoto yokai.

Whatever temporary alliance had been formed during the fight against Nue and the Gokadoin dissolved after the battle ended, and though it was not out-and-out war, there was no lost love between the two groups.

"I've got the Sanba Garasu investigating whether this is yokai related or not; however, that was before I knew about the missing livers. While that doesn't completely rule out a human culprit, it seems less likely now."

Ryūji nodded. They both fell silent as they entered the metro, each man remaining quiet and contemplative till they'd reached the station for Ukiyoe Town.

Once outside, Ryūji resumed their discussion. "So you've had nothing else unusual occur otherwise?"

"Nope. Well…" Rikuo hesitated. "Not unless you count the sudden appearance of a miko."

Ryūji tilted his head to regard Rikuo before returning his gaze to the street in front of him. "So, speaking of little miss miko, what's your interest in her?"

"Simply keeping an eye on things to ensure she isn't a threat to the Nuragumi yokai," Rikuo answered evenly.

"Right…purely professional… Whatever the case, she's a bit of a conundrum, isn't she?" Ryūji asked.

Rikuo quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, she clearly hasn't identified you as a yokai, though neither did my idiot sister initially. And surely you've noticed that—" Ryūji broke off and snorted, a calculating, smug smile appearing.

"Noticed what?"

"Hmmm… Never mind. Evidently your Tōnō teacher has neglected some aspects of your training though…"

"Itaku would take exception to that. Although, knowing him, he'd probably tell you it had more to do with the caliber of his student than his instruction."

Ryūji barked a laugh. "I knew I liked him." A pause. "For a yokai…"

Rikuo rolled his eyes at Ryūji's qualification. Then, "About Kagome… Are you referring to something being, I don't know, _off_ about her energy?"

His companion merely shrugged, obnoxiously smug expression remaining.

 _Damn him. Now it's going to bother me… I'll have to take a closer look next time._

They came to an intersection, and Ryūji stopped.

"My hotel's that way," he said, jerking his head in the direction opposite to where Rikuo was going. It was obvious the onmyoji had secured lodgings as close as possible to Ukiyoe Town, without actually being _in_ Ukiyoe Town.

 _Typical_.

"For now, the best course of action is perhaps for both of us to continue to investigate independently and share any new evidence, should it arise, with one another. Not only does it keep our assistance off the books for you, but also it may prevent the perpetrator from figuring out that we're working together."

Ryūji gave a curt nod. "I'll get a copy of the coroner's report for this newest victim and see if I can get anything more out of those idiot cops. Though the two in charge share a brain cell between them, so I'm not optimistic."

Rikuo snickered. While Ryūji was unquestionably biased against yokai, you couldn't deny the guy was pretty fair in his overall treatment of people. _To Ryūji, we're all morons. Human or yokai._

"So for now, you'll take the humans, I'll handle the yokai?" When Ryūji gave another nod of agreement, Rikuo added, "Leave the Nura clan yokai alone, got it?"

The onmyoji rolled his eyes and then waved his hand in a "yeah, yeah" gesture as he strode off in the direction of his hotel.

Rikuo grinned. He wasn't worried. Yura wouldn't have sent Ryūji here if she couldn't trust him to behave; besides, although it wouldn't necessarily be _easy_ , he and his Night Parade could handle one temperamental onmyoji.

* * *

"My dear, sweet, _stupid_ pet," Moira said, patting the cheek of the young man whose name she'd never bothered to learn. Truth be told, she hadn't learned most of their names.

 _And why would I? Does one name their chess pieces?_

Refocusing on the trembling youth in front of her, she said in a deceptively sweet voice, "I do believe you were educated on the correct way to dispose of bodies? Yes?"

His head bobbed up and down, lower lip quivering as he started to speak. Before he could open his mouth, her hand shot out and gripped his chin, long talons digging into the flesh and drawing blood.

"Then why, pray tell, after a second warning from Akiko, did you recklessly dump a corpse just outside Ukiyoe Town, you useless, brain-dead maggot?" As her claws dug deeper into his jawline, he whimpered, and she pushed him away in disgust.

"I don't suffer fools, particularly those who're too stupid to follow instructions." She motioned to her other subordinates. "Exsanguinate him."

Akiko's eyes widened slightly before she nodded. "Shall we bring you his liver, Moira-sama?"

"Consuming the liver of such an incompetent weakling is unlikely to benefit me in any way whatsoever. However, I am a bit parched. Bring me a glass of his blood when you're finished." She gave them a bloodthirsty grin. "The rest…is all yours. Enjoy your treat."

The young man's face went white as a sheet, and then she could no longer see his expression, for his ex-comrades fell on him like a pack of hungry wolves. His screams echoed through the house, and Moira chuckled darkly.

 _How like children to play with their food._

Then a thought occurred to her; she still needed more information about the Nura clan.

Heading for the door, she called out to her assistant, "On second thought, don't bother bringing me any of his blood—I'm going out."

Not waiting for a response, knowing her request would be followed, Moira shifted into a form better suited for reconnaissance and slipped out the door.

* * *

 **Footnotes** :

 **1.** Technically, the fan translation of the novelization says "dispelling bad omens" not handling curses, but close enough for my 'verse.

 **2.** Kagome was correct—the superstition about cats washing their faces is not a sign of someone lying. Instead, it supposedly is either 1) a sign of rain or 2) a sign that a visitor is coming.

 **3.** Ikigimo: per Nuramago manga chapter 59, it refers to the practice of consuming "liver taken while the person is still alive," stemming from a story about Chinese yokai doing it, and yokai believed that "more sacred life forces, such as those of infants, priestesses, and imperial princesses would increase their strength." All they needed to add were some fava beans and a nice Chianti.

 **Author's notes:  
**

 **1.** I know that our hero and heroine did not get much time together. It won't always be like that.  
 **2.** I know that our hero and heroine are being a little frustratingly obtuse. It won't always be like that.  
 **3.** I know that… just kidding. I couldn't bring myself to be that repetitive. Thank you for reading! Coming soon to a chapter near you: what's in the packet!?


	10. Chapter 9

Thanks again to all of you who take time to read, review, follow, favorite, etc. Y'all are awesome.

This chapter wound up being a little bit of a beast, but there really wasn't any other way around it.

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"In the short term, it would make me happy to go play outside. In the long term, it would make me happier to do well at school and become successful. But in the VERY long term, I know which will make better memories."  
 **–Bill Watterson,** _It's a Magical World: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection_

"Walkin' down this rocky road  
Wondering where my life is leadin'  
Rollin' on to the bitter end  
Finding out along the way  
What it takes to keep love living  
You should know how it feels, my friend"  
 **–Bad Company** , "Ready for Love"

* * *

Pipe in hand, Rikuo sat in his usual spot on the branches within the sakura tree. As he smoked, he watched nightfall blanket the town and mulled over his earlier conversation with Ryūji.

 _"Word on the street is they're vampires… You of all people should know not to discount rumors entirely."_

He exhaled, and the wispy white smoke floated and curled until it dissipated completely. _No matter how much I try to convince myself it could be some sick, twisted human…something tells me this is a yokai. Or more than one yokai._

Rikuo sighed. Ryūji was mistaken—Rikuo _did_ know not to discount rumors. And though his instincts told him it wasn't a Nuragumi ayakashi, and he had serious doubts about it being vampires, the fundamental problem remained. Whether they were vampires or not, someone in his territory was claiming Fear that belonged to the Nura clan, to him.

A specter from his past rose unbidden in his mind, taunting him. "Fear makes us strong. Isn't that right?! A yokai's strength is something…to be feared and talked about…like ghost stories…urban legends…like the _Hyaku Monogatari_." **(1)**

While what Toryanse had spoken of was only a part of Fear, he wasn't wrong about yokai gaining strength from the Fear that ghost stories and urban legends about them generated. After all, it was what had made Enchō and the Hundred Stories clan such a threat. At least Kurotabō had finally tracked down Yanagida and killed him seven years prior, so Rikuo wasn't concerned about this being a revival of the Hundred Stories clan.

No, if anything, right now he was annoyed by someone attempting to pilfer his clan's Fear and weaken the foundation of his Hyakki Yakō. Currently, according to Karasu Tengu's preliminary investigations, it was a negligible amount, hardly worth noticing.

 _And that's the problem. It's a subtle yet persistent drain that, if unresolved, will only fester and grow larger, destabilizing our strength and authority in our territory._

He ground his teeth on the end of his pipe—to hell with the possibility of it cracking—his prior annoyance growing closer to anger. Fortunately for the integrity of his pipe, a voice from the base of the tree drew him out of his rage-inducing thoughts.

"Yo, kid, got room for another up there?"

Without waiting for a reply, Rikuo's grandfather leapt gracefully up into the tree, sitting down on the branch nearest to Rikuo, his back pressed up against the trunk like Rikuo's was.

"Oi, _jiji_ , I'm not a kid anymore," Rikuo said, frowning.

Nurarihyon cackled. "Hah! You're not even a hundred yet. By yokai standards, you're but a wee babe."

Rikuo's brows pinched further together as his frown deepened.

"You might want to stop that." Nurarihyon poked the bowl end of his pipe in between Rikuo's eyebrows, promptly retracting it when Rikuo moved to swat it away. "Otherwise you're gonna wind up prematurely wrinkled, and then what girl will want you?"

"Shut it, old man," Rikuo said without heat.

"Well, now, you'd seemed better, but I see you're back to acting all brooding and pensive again. That pretty miko turn you down?"

" _Jiji…_ " Rikuo warned. True, she hadn't texted him yet, but that wasn't his foremost concern at present.

His grandfather affected a look of benign innocence, taking a pull on his pipe and exhaling slowly. Then, his tone marginally more serious, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Although Rikuo knew Karasu Tengu had likely kept his grandfather apprised of the situation, Rikuo explained all he knew. As he did, Nurarihyon listened closely, intermittently nodding and making "Mmm" noises.

"…and human or yokai, it doesn't matter. I can't just let someone steal Fear on our turf, tarnish our reputation," Rikuo finished.

Nurarihyon was quiet for a moment. "Yes, I can see why this is bothering you. However, have you considered that maybe it isn't as big of a deal as you're making it out to be?"

Rikuo crossed his arms and leveled a glare at his grandfather. "No, _jiji_ , what a novel idea."

He earned a pipe poking him in the face again for the comment, with the added remark, "There's that irritability again. You didn't mention that miko in what's going on. How's she factor in?"

 _Good damn question._ "Hell if I know," Rikuo spoke aloud. "I do worry about our meeting being something other than a fluke, given the timing of it all."

" _Tch_ ," his grandfather scoffed. "That's not what I meant at all. I want to know if something happened with her to make you so damn angsty again."

Rikuo raised an eyebrow. "You're not taking any of this seriously, are you?"

Nurarihyon sighed. "Look, Rikuo, you've been on edge lately, so maybe as a result you're perceiving this infringement on Nura territory as some sort of personal insult." When Rikuo started to argue, his grandfather held up a hand. "Also, while being cautious and protecting the clan certainly isn't a bad thing, take care not to let the past cloud your interpretation of current events. Sometimes what seems like a grand conspiracy could be nothing more than coincidence."

Rikuo contemplated his grandfather's words. Then, he said reluctantly, "I suppose…it's possible…you could be right…"

"Of course it's possible. Who do you think I am?" Nurarihyon gave him an arrogant smirk before lifting his hand and wobbling his thumb and index finger positioned in a half circle. "Sake?"

At Rikuo's nod, ceramic cups and a thin-necked bottle materialized from within the folds of his grandfather's kimono—a fairly common occurrence within the yokai community, and an inexplicable mystery to non-yokai observers.

The two lapsed into comfortable silence as they drank, and Rikuo gazed upward at the moon, a waning crescent sliver in the inky night sky.

 _Things had been a bit quiet, I was restless, and now there's a problem that needs fixing. I should really be happier._

Tendrils of smoke rose and vanished as he blew out a sigh along with his exhale. Happiness could wait. His responsibility to the Nuragumi came first.

And if looking out for the best interests of the clan meant spending time with a pretty miko… Well, he'd just have to take one for the team.

 _Okay…maybe I'm a_ little bit _happy._

* * *

As much as she'd wanted to race home and immediately delve into the materials Ryūji had given her, Kagome kept the reins tight on her self-discipline, completing the most pertinent assignments for her classes and then taking care of some chores. It was torturous, and her distracted state of mind caused everything to take longer than it should have.

By early evening, Kagome deemed the conditions met and settled at her kitchen table with her laptop. Then, she pulled open the packet and riffled through till she found the database information sheet, only briefly glancing at the few printed materials since she figured their online archives would have the lion's share of the information she sought. She'd review the physical resources when she'd exhausted the digital ones.

She entered the personalized log-in and password she'd been provided and then paused, biting her lip.

As the cursor blinked in the search field box and her fingers hovered over the keys, the devil on her shoulder tempted her to type in the names of her friends. But with the meeting with her advisor on the horizon, Kagome disciplined herself to stay focused, searching first for "shikon no tama."

There were surprisingly more results than she'd anticipated, but she started with the main database entry on the topic.

"The shikon no tama: also known as the sacred jewel or jewel of the four souls, a gemstone purported to have granted the bearer unparalleled power, said to have been created from the merged souls of many formidable demons and **Midoriko** , a powerful miko."

The story overview about the sacred jewel was virtually the same as what she'd grown up hearing from her grandfather, not to mention experienced some of it firsthand, so she skimmed over the section, taking a few notes here and there if she thought they might be applicable for her independent study. A comment near the end of the overview, before it got into more lengthy discussion, caught her attention.

"The core information surrounding the shikon no tama legend originates at the **Higurashi** shrine in Tokyo, which is thought to have been built on the site of the same shrine that once housed the jewel during the Sengoku era. Interestingly enough, though passed down in the family from generation to generation, the legend seems to have been relegated to little more than a bedtime story or marketing gimmick."

 _Oh, is that so?_ She scrunched her nose up in annoyance. _That's just insulting._

 _Jii-chan_ would have been furious to read something like that in official onmyoji documents. She was already put off by her interactions with Ryūji, but now her distaste for the Keikain onmyoji was expanding to the organization as a whole.

Kagome noticed hyperlinks to, ostensibly, information about the Higurashi shrine as well as Midoriko, but she resisted the urge to see what they had on her family. She could check that out later—right now, she needed to stay on task.

She continued reading.

"Most folklorists believe the tale of the shikon no tama to be simply that—a story, one designed to teach about the corruption of power and the dangers of greed. Onmyoji researchers, on the other hand, do believe such an item existed, and that there was indeed a war over it. However, the abilities attributed to the jewel are likely grossly exaggerated as the only sources available regarding the jewel's powers are in the yokai community, and they are hardly credible resources."

Kagome's lip involuntarily curled into a sneer. While it wasn't entirely unexpected, the researcher's definite anti-yokai bias irritated her.

"The battle over the sacred jewel, which the average human was unaware of, has become known as the **Shikon Wa** r, and scholars agree that though it had already been ongoing, the war reached its peak when the enigmatic shikon miko broke the jewel into myriad pieces, each of which allegedly had immense power on their own. Historians can only hazard a guess at the reasoning behind her decision to break the jewel; the action was certainly shortsighted and foolish, particularly given her and her companions subsequent quest to collect the shards."

Kagome glared at the screen. "Oh, you sanctimonious prick. Is that kind of commentary really necessary?"

 _It was an honest mistake—how was I supposed to know the damned thing was going to shatter?_ Feeling less than sure she really wanted to, Kagome pressed onward with the reading.

"Information about the shikon miko is unreliable at best and nonsensical at worst, with some claiming she was a mysterious miko from another realm or dimension, whereas others say she was the reincarnation of Kikyō, a local miko from Edo, who was rumored to have died around 1500 yet was found alive and dwelling in Edo following the destruction of the jewel in 1550 (archivist's note: date estimated by scholars, not definitive). These inconsistencies make it difficult to know just what exactly transpired or who actually was the shikon miko. Some researchers speculate Kikyō was the shikon miko—unlikely given the purported age of the woman residing in Edo around 1550—and that the rumors were started to protect her identity or perhaps even to hide the ludicrous error in decision-making that led to the fragmented shikon no tama."

"Okay! That's it—next topic!" Kagome snapped, having endured enough criticism _during_ the events themselves. She hardly needed judgment from some faceless onmyoji asshole, for at this point, they were all assholes in her book.

A grumbling stomach reminded her she hadn't really eaten much that day since she'd woken up late, and knowing that if she waited, she'd be far too engrossed to even think about eating, she took a short break to sate her insistent hunger.

Afterward, Kagome plopped back down in the kitchen chair. Then, she clicked on the link to the Shikon War, skimming over the vague and repeatedly qualified events, as the onmyoji historians seemed insistent on reminding whoever was reading that little was "substantiated" or could only be validated by those "unreliable" yokai sources. It was all she could do not to roll her eyes.

"Details surrounding the final battle and the elimination of the shikon no tama remain unclear. Unsubstantiated— _there's that word again_ , Kagome thought—sources indicate that the fight against **Naraku** to reclaim the jewel, which was back in one piece, consisted of the shikon miko, a taijiya, a hōshi, and several yokai [see **Keikain Akihiko** personal documents for additional details]. Whether this is true or merely part of the shikon no tama legend and a way to teach listeners the power of teamwork, scholars may never know.

"The defeat of both Naraku and the shikon no tama left a power vacuum in the yokai world, and many yokai rushed to fill that position of power. Thus, as the human wars raged leading up to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, so did battles between yokai. The human warfare also inadvertently led to an increase in yokai numbers and/or strength, with yokai both feeding on and being created from so much death and carnage. Historians believe this may have been a catalyst for **Hagoromo Gitsune** 's swift rise to power under the guise of Yodo-dono."

Kagome couldn't say she was surprised by the power void that had formed; nevertheless, she did feel a little bit guilty. Still…it wasn't like they could have just let Naraku and the shikon no tama do as they pleased!

And although she doubted the Keikain had any knowledge about Naraku that she didn't already have, she clicked on the hyperlink out of curiosity.

"Naraku: an extremely powerful hanyō born of the fusion of many yokai with a human vessel, one with a corrupt heart. The exact identity of the human remains unknown. Instrumental in collecting shards and reforming the shikon no tama. Killed during the final battle of the Shikon War prior to the jewel's destruction."

 _Hah!_ Kagome thought. _This barely scratches the surface. Who's superior now, assholes?_ Not that they would've cared, but she definitely felt a sense of self-satisfaction in knowing far more than they did on the topic.

She went back to the Shikon War entry, a small aside at the end having piqued her interest, and she clicked on the link.

"Hagoromo Gitsune: A formidable reincarnation kitsune and originally the mother of **Abe no Seimei** ( **Nue** ). In the incarnation of Yodo-dono, she was defeated by **Nurarihyon** using **Nenekirimaru** in 1615. In…[Access restricted. Contact archivist for more information.]"

 _The mother of Abe no Seimei… I thought legends listed the kitsune Kuzunoha as his mother… Are they one and the same?_ Kagome made a mental note to look the folklore up in her textbooks later. And Toyotomi Hideyori's mother a yokai? Did that mean _he_ was a yokai too? Those were certainly details omitted from the history books if so.

 _And Nurarihyon defeated her… Holy hell, that means the historical records of her suicide aren't right either… Plus Nurarihyon? I know some lore calls him the yokai supreme commander…but isn't he the dine-and-dash yokai? Is he really_ that _strong? Damn, I have so many questions!_

Visiting the hyperlinks within the snippet only led to more teases, followed by the same "Access restricted" message.

"Oh, come on," Kagome groaned. Had they seriously limited her access to their databases? Just when it was getting interesting, too!

 _Well, I guess it's for the best…I'm getting distracted. On the other hand…_

She knew she really should remain focused on the materials she was gathering for her independent study, particularly since she had a meeting with her advisor in less than forty-eight hours, but her curiosity was making her positively twitchy.

She simply couldn't wait any longer to see if there was anything about her friends. Besides, Kagome reasoned, it was sort of relevant to research on the shikon no tama's lore.

Her initial searches for "Miroku" or "Sango" yielded no results, which was more than a little frustrating. Deciding she was probably starting too narrow, she typed in "taijiya."

 _Bingo!_

The article started with information she was extremely familiar with. Kagome scrolled impatiently. "Demon slayers, trained from childhood, skilled with weaponry, blah blah blah, please tell me there's something here that I don't already know!"

It referenced the possibility of a taijiya giving the shikon no tama to a priestess, ostensibly Kikyō or the shikon miko—if the two weren't one and the same, but probably not, the historian made a point of noting…again. Kagome remembered Sango telling them about her grandfather finding the sacred jewel and then enlisting Kikyō's help because it had become tainted and she had the ability to purify it, which the article briefly mentioned.

Kagome had to wonder if they doubted that fact as well.

"The aforementioned demon slayer who found the jewel reportedly hailed from one of the most famous taijiya villages, once located in the mountains of Hida Province, northern present-day Gifu, its name now lost to history. This village was supposedly the birthplace of the shikon no tama itself [for more, see **Midoriko** ]. The slayers trained in this village were renowned for many centuries, but unfortunately, during the Shikon War, all of the taijiya, save two, were slaughtered by Naraku's faction."

 _Interesting… So whether they acknowledge the_ "credibility" _of yokai sources or not, they do seem to accept Sango and Kohaku's survival, though the onmyoji scholars don't appear to know their names._

She kept reading.

"Shortly after the shikon no tama's destruction, a school teaching, among other things, demon-slaying techniques was founded a short distance from the remnants of the prominent Hida taijiya village. Some unproven personal accounts claim this last-known taijiya school was founded by some of those directly involved in the defeat of Naraku and the shikon no tama [see **Keikain Akihiko** personal documents for additional details], allegedly the taijiya and the hōshi.

"Few details are known about the early curriculum of the school. What historians do know, however, is that following a smallpox outbreak in 1571 and then a widespread drought in 1573, the school's population was decimated. In addition to this, perhaps capitalizing on the weakness of their enemies and a country rife with turmoil due to war, attacks in the region by both bandits and yokai were more prevalent.

"As a result, the school's membership had dwindled greatly by the early 1600s when it was destroyed in a fire. The school did not reform, and the surviving members disbanded, a few of whom joined the **Yaso** branch of the **Keikain** onmyoji, their knowledge of both yokai and anti-yokai weaponry being a valuable resource. What became of those who did not join the Keikain is unknown. [Note: scholars suspect possible **Gokadoin** involvement in early 1600s; conversely, random yokai, bandits, or collateral damage from the ongoing war is also highly probable.]"

Kagome's breath caught in her throat, and a tightness gripped her chest as her vision blurred. "No…" she whispered hoarsely. "It can't be true…"

Intellectually, she knew something like this was extremely plausible. Life expectancies weren't especially high during the Sengoku era, and it wasn't like Miroku and Sango had access to modern medicine, at least not once Kagome had returned to present day. Not to mention that the taijiya village area, Hida Province, would eventually become a center of conflict in the late 1580s when Kanamori Nagachika was sent to conquer the region under the orders of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It would not have been a particularly peaceful place to live.

It felt surreal—she knew they were dead, had been for centuries, and she'd mourned the loss of her friends years ago. Yet somehow, the knowledge of _how_ they'd died, or possibly how, was a new wound, one that hurt far worse than she'd ever anticipated.

Shoving her laptop back a few inches, Kagome cradled her head in her arms on the edge of the table, hot tears trickling down her face.

 _Smallpox? Or famine? Bandits?_ Kami _, tell me that's not how they died… Damnit, they deserved so much better._

The trickle of tears threatened to turn into hiccupping sobs, but before they could, she sat up and slapped her palms against her cheeks. "No. Snap out of it, Kagome. It's too vague, and there are other avenues to investigate first before you accept this."

She scrubbed at her eyes and face with the back of her forearm and pulled her laptop closer, refocusing on the screen. Starting with "Yaso," she clicked on it, then Keikain, and Gokadoin, yet all yielded the same result.

 **Access denied.**

 _DENIED? No snippet, no little "contact archivist," just "denied." Just what are those assholes trying to hide?_

Searches for "Kohaku," "Kirara," and "Inuyasha" generated no results, and Kikyō's entry was essentially repetition of content she'd already read, so on a whim, she tried "Sesshōmaru."

"Sesshōmaru: legendary inu daiyokai of influence during the Sengoku era. Supposed member of shikon miko faction in the Shikon War…[Access restricted. Contact archivist for more information.]"

 _WHAT?!_

At this point, indignation had overshadowed grief at being denied potential leads to information about her friends. Kagome massaged her temples and tried to relax her jaw, which was aching from clenching it.

"Hmm…" she mused out loud, gaze running up and down the taijiya article that she'd returned to. "Wait! What's that?"

"See **Keikain Akihiko** personal documents for additional details."

The page that the link took her to nearly had her screaming in frustration—it was merely an informational entry with the Keikain archives' equivalent of a call number, presumably to a physical resource in the collection.

 _Physical resources…!_

Kagome snatched the packet Ryūji had given her off the floor, groaning and shaking her head at her own stupidity. She'd asked them to make copies of any relevant archival materials that weren't already digitized. _Why didn't I think of that sooner?_

Flipping through, she found the Keikain Akihiko document. A cover page held, in addition to identifying the document, a note.

"Archivist's note: please be advised that the contents of this journal cannot be substantiated by Keikain historians due to a lack of concrete evidence supporting all of the claims made by the author."

 _Damn if these people aren't like a broken record…_

The scanned and printed pages were faded and foxed with age, somewhat difficult to read, and in places completely illegible. But she would have recognized the handwriting anywhere—it was nearly identical to Miroku's, and had it not been labeled as the personal account of Keikain Akihiko, she would have assumed it _was_ Miroku's.

At the top of the first page of the journal, was a separate handwritten note, one that appeared to have been added after the journal itself. The handwriting style was similar, but spidery and more faint, as though written by a hesitant or shaky hand.

"Author's note: The journal that follows was intended to be a rough draft and therefore lacks cohesive organization and is more stream of consciousness than anticipated. As I am now going blind, revisions are no longer possible. However, I am eternally grateful to my older sister, Tomiko, for pestering me to get these stories down on paper so they will not be lost forever. –Keikain Akihiko, 1617"

Underneath the scribbled note began the personal account:

"My name is Keikain Akihiko, though I was not born into the Keikain family. My sister, Tomiko, and I, as well as our cousin Ryōichi, were 'adopted' into the Yaso branch of the Keikain onmyojis in 1601, when our family home and adjacent school were destroyed—adopted may not be the correct term since we were adults. We had knowledge and skills [ink blotches or holes made the next few sentences unreadable].

"I digress [a scribbled note in the margin says to work on structure]. I am the son of Hideaki, grandson of [spots of discoloration, perhaps due to mold, obscured the writing] …ngo, who were comrades to the shikon miko and helped bring down Naraku and destroy the shikon no tama. A fact that we have had contested repeatedly by the onmyoji, all save Keikain Hidemoto, who with my sister encouraged me to record our family's history and stories."

Kagome's heart pounded, and her hands trembled slightly. _There's no question. The handwriting…the last three letters of presumably Sango's name, them being part of our group to destroy the jewel…_ She grinned happily, a combination of relief and elation washing over her.

With no small amount of satisfaction, Kagome noted that Akihiko seemed as annoyed as she by the Keikain's tenacious disputing of so-called unproven claims.

She returned to reading, rubbing her chest absently with the heel of her hand, the tightness from earlier having changed to a dull ache.

"Sadly, I was only a few months old when my grandparents died, and therefore have no recollection of them. My sister's remembrances are few and more impressions than concrete memories. Consequently, the stories in this journal shall rely upon narratives told to me and my sister, as well as a few from my cousin, by our parents, relatives, and others who knew my grandparents. As such, I cannot be held accountable for, nor am I likely to even be aware of, any embellishments to actual events.

"According to my father, my grandfather met the shikon miko before he met my grandmother, when he 'liberated' both the shikon miko and some sacred jewel fragments from some yokai she was traveling with…"

Kagome spent the remainder of the evening and well into the wee hours of the morning poring over Akihiko's retelling of her and her friends' journey, though after the first fragment of Sango's name, there were no other uses of their first names—just "my grandparents" or "my great uncle." She supposed it was possible their names were used in some of the segments that were either too damaged or smudged to read. As it was, the deterioration of both the handwriting and condition of the journal caused her to take much longer than she'd expected. Still, it was what she'd been looking for, information about her friends, their story…her story.

Oh, there were some minor alterations of course—the largest being the glaring absence of her identity, plus little about Sango or Kohaku's involvement with Naraku, not that Kagome could blame them for avoiding the painful subject. And apparently Miroku had _edited_ out some of his more lecherous behaviors. Reliving moments of her time in the Sengoku era was bittersweet and cathartic, and as she read, Kagome laughed and cried, but more than anything missed her friends desperately.

She'd just begun the section discussing the final battle against Naraku. Turning to the next page, she froze and her mouth fell open.

There was nothing else. The journal just…stopped.

Added to the multiple "access restricteds" and "access denieds" she'd gotten, it was more than her patience could handle. Clenching her fists until her fingernails bit into her palms, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly while counting to ten. It wouldn't do to scream incoherently and wake the neighbors at 2:00 a.m.

Successfully containing a screech that likely would have made a banshee proud, Kagome rose from her chair and stalked across the room, yanking her phone off its charger.

 _Forget texting. I'm calling him—I want to talk to that bastard in person. I don't give a rat's ass what time it is._

Unsurprisingly, he did not answer, and she left a terse voicemail asking him to contact her. Then she tapped out a text furiously.

 **Kagome:** I need to speak to you. In person. Now.

A moment or two later, a reply appeared.

 **Onmyoji Asshole:** That so? You know, most people only want one thing at this time of night.

 _Do not throw your phone, do not throw your phone…_

 **K:** I'm serious.  
 **O.A.:** Wow, I didn't know you felt that way. Awkward. Sorry, but I'm just not interested in you that way.

Kagome wondered if it was possible to grip a phone so hard it cracked.

 **K:** Not in the mood for your games. What the hell is up with you all giving me incomplete information and limiting my access in the databases?  
 **O.A.:** What is it you need to know that we didn't provide? Besides, you still owe me a TRUE story not some redacted bullshit  
 **K:** Redacted? Are you kidding? You're one to talk with your "access restricted" and "access denied" messages to articles like Sesshōmaru or the Gokadoin… Kinda suspicious the Keikain entry was one of those…  
 **O.A.:** It's blocked to prevent nosy little girls like you from getting involved in things you shouldn't.

Seething, Kagome's final strand of patience snapped, and she hurled her phone across the room into the sofa.

Then, she proceeded to review every morsel of information available with a fine-tooth comb until she fell asleep on top of her computer.

* * *

When he received no reply to his comment about nosy little girls, Ryūji snorted. It was _too_ easy to push her buttons.

Then, because her questions had raised internal red flags, he called Masatsugu. **(2)**

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" a sleep-tinged voice answered.

"Yeah, don't care. You know that Higurashi girl you had me bring materials to? The one doing an independent study for college?"

A yawn came across the line. "Seriously? This warranted waking me up at 2:00 a.m.?" When Ryūji didn't reply, Masatsugu sighed heavily. "Yes, I remember. What about her?"

"Send me a copy of everything she asked for, was researching, plus all of our 'unofficial' or 'off the books' materials on those topics. Also, I want everything we have on her, her family, and her shrine."

"Yura didn't send you there to research women, Ryūji, and she's not going to be very happy if you get distracted and don't resolve this soon," Masatsugu said reproachfully.

"Don't recall asking for your opinion. Not that it's any of _your_ business, but the case has shit for leads. I'm working on it, but it's going to take longer than we expected." An idea sprang to mind, and Ryūji grinned to himself. "And, I'll have you know, the stuff about Higurashi and her research is for the case. Turns out she's a miko, a cursed one. Don't you think it's prudent to confirm she's not connected?"

"Have you tried _asking_ her?" Masatsugu countered.

"Is water wet? Of course I did." _Or will…eventually…_ "Are you going to get what I asked for, or should I call and wake up Yura?" _And in 3…2…1…_

"No, I'll do it." Masatsugu gave a loud sigh. "I'll email it to you by tomorrow afternoon."

"Perfect. Hey, Masatsugu…get some sleep, will ya? You sound like shit."

"Ryūji, I swear to—"

Before Masatsugu could finish, Ryūji hung up and lay on his back, examining the ceiling of the hotel room as he mused about the miko who'd become simultaneously more intriguing and more suspicious.

 _Just who…or what…is Higurashi Kagome?_

* * *

 **Footnotes:  
** **1.** _Nurarihyon no Mago_ , chapter 140  
 **2.** In case you forgot the poor guy (I had to go back and reconfirm he was still alive LOL), he's one of the Keikain "brothers"—given that he's not from the main branch like Yura and Ryūji, I doubt he's a full brother. I'd speculate more like cousins, if at all blood-related.

 **Author's Note:** I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! Admittedly the chapter was a little "history" dense—don't forget that our girl is a history and comparative lit major. So that's right up her alley. Some things are canon from either series, some things are actually historical, and some things are a bit blurred to work with the crossover. No, we still don't have a clear picture of what precisely happened in the past. All in due time.

Coming soon: cats, cat sanctuaries, and meddlesome cat-eyed friends


	11. Chapter 10

I hope you enjoy this chapter, as it was both an effort to get down on the page (screen? whatever) as well as one that despite it fighting me, I really like aspects of.

Thank you to all my readers, and thank you for the reviews. Also, special thanks to **miss-zei** for loaning me Apollo. ;-)

Quick bit of housekeeping—I revised chapter four to reflect that Kagome actually gets out of class at 11:45 a.m., not 11:00, so if you really want/need to know, in this chapter, she's probably meeting Natsumi around 1-2ish after class and meeting with her professor.

* * *

 **Quote:**

"I don't bother chasing mice around  
I slink down the alleyway looking for a fight  
Howling to the moonlight on a hot summer night  
Singin' the blues while the lady cats cry  
"Wild stray cat, you're a real gone guy"  
I wish I could be as carefree and wild  
But I got cat class and I got cat style"  
 **–Stray Cats,** "Stray Cat Strut"

* * *

It could have been worse.

On the other hand, it could have gone better too, and Kagome winced, shoulders drooping, as her conversation with her advisor played on a constant loop in her mind. _Saito-sensei didn't have to be quite so harsh. "You have compiled some impressive research, yet you have little else. I expected more from you, Higurashi-san."_

He'd also been less than appreciative of her quip about just writing a literature review rather than an argument-based research paper, giving her a lecture about how she wouldn't get into graduate school or get very far in the professional world with such a lackadaisical attitude. Never mind that she'd always done extremely well in his classes. Then, he'd added, "It would behoove you, Higurashi-san, to remember that you require a passing grade in this independent study to graduate."

 _Sheesh. Some people have no sense of humor._ That said…she wasn't sure she'd ever actually seen her professor smile.

Despite knowing that he wasn't completely wrong, her advisor's dissatisfaction had been a bitter pill to swallow, and disappointment weighed heavily on her as she took the train to Ukiyoe Town.

 _There's no point dwelling on it,_ she told herself sternly. _As Mama would say, "The fallen blossom doesn't return to the branch."_

Cramming the feelings of defeat into a far corner of her mind to deal with later, she focused instead on her destination. After all, if anything could cheer her up, it would be playing with some kitties. _Maybe they'll have some kittens!_

The prospect did brighten her mood considerably, and she found herself walking out of the subway purposefully and with more excitement than she'd entered it.

Though Kagome didn't lower her mental shields, on the periphery of her senses she could feel a very subtle, constant pressure of myriad yokai energies upon entering Ukiyoe Town. Rather than being uncomfortable or frightening, however, the presence of youki was oddly soothing, like the way a familiar scent brings back pleasant memories.

 _I want to work on isolating individual energies…or at least doing a better job filtering and limiting the range of my sensing._

She sighed. It would be so much more helpful if she knew a yokai personally and could enlist their help.

 _Keep dreaming, Kagome. Snowball's chance in hell…_

Pushing the negative thoughts about her independent study and yokai aside, Kagome rounded the corner onto Fourth Street, and a little ways down the block, she spotted Natsumi standing outside a nondescript building that was adjacent to a small cemetery.

"Natsumi-chan!" Kagome waved.

She made her way down to where her friend stood and hooked a thumb toward the graveyard. "This part of the sanctuary too?"

Natsumi tilted her head as if considering. "Kinda? It's technically their property, and they're working on a trap-neuter-release program with the strays, but it's not _really_ part of the official Bakeneko sanctuary."

Gazing out over the cemetery, Kagome spotted cats lounging among the gravestones. A ruddy-coated lean one and a tuxedoed tom perched on tops of the stones surveying the landscape, while others sunbathed and snoozed in the plots, under trees, and along walls. A couple young-looking calicos tussled and tumbled before getting distracted and chasing after a leaf skittering by, and both Kagome and Natsumi laughed at their antics.

They turned around to the shopfront, and Kagome spotted a small sign in the window, which read, "help wanted, inquire within."

The fact that the cat sanctuary might be hiring someone rather than simply relying on volunteers surprised her. She thought about it for a moment and found the idea appealing. She'd been lamenting the state of her bank account the day before as it was.

She'd had a part-time job up until this semester, when she'd decided to quit it in order to focus on her last semester of school—she wanted to finish with good grades and she also knew her independent study would take up a lot of her free time.

 _Because you knew you'd likely let yourself get obsessed and hyperfocus to the detriment of other things._

Unlike most of her friends, Kagome had worked part-time during high school and then worked full time during summers and breaks in between semesters in college. So she had enough money saved up to cover the cost of her bills through the end of the term, though it would be tight. Having a part-time job would make things a little less stressful financially, so it couldn't hurt to see if it was actually a paid position.

Natsumi held her hand out toward the doorway, inviting Kagome to go first. But before she could open the door, Natsumi pulled out her phone and said, "Oops, I've got to make a quick call… I'll be in in just a sec!"

Shrugging—given the fidgeting and shifty eyes, there was no telling what Natsumi was up to—Kagome went ahead, the tiny bell on the door chiming to announce her presence.

The door opened into a medium-sized room, and Kagome looked around the facility. The room she stood in had a reception-style desk directly in front of her, with a computer, phone, a few filing cabinets, and a closed door behind the counter. To her immediate right was a long narrow table with some gift shop type items, plus some hanging from a display on the wall behind the table, and diagonally to her right farther away was another closed door.

To the left was a wall composed entirely of glass, a door in the middle bearing a sign instructing visitors to use hand sanitizer both before entering and upon leaving, and to take care not to let any cats out. Through the glass, she could see it was quite a large space with rows of cages along the back and far wall, and windows looking out to the road and cemetery at the front. Cat beds, scratching posts, and kitty hammocks dotted the floor space, most occupied by feline residents, and little shelves and nooks were strategically placed in free wall space. Those not snoozing or lounging were playing or roaming, a few peering through the glass to slow blink at Kagome. Jingle balls, fur-covered plastic mice, and other toys were scattered on the floor here and there, and more toys, including cat dancers, were contained in a couple baskets. Several litter boxes were tucked in corners, under tables, and in other out-of-the-way places, as were food and water bowls—though not near the litter boxes—and it occurred to Kagome that the sanctuary had a distinct lack of odor, a remarkable feat given the number of cats. The owners obviously ensured the facility was kept clean and sanitized.

 _I'm impressed! And I definitely hope they have a cat for Mama, as they clearly take good care of them._

"Hey! So you want a cat, or not?" a harsh voice asked.

Kagome jumped. She'd been so preoccupied looking around, she hadn't even noticed anyone walk up. In front of her stood a young woman with her hands fisted on her hips. Her sharp eyes were a pale green with flecks of gold, and underneath a black baseball cap, she had a ponytail that was a strange mixture of black, dark brown, and copper all swirled together. Kagome wondered briefly if it were natural or a really talented dye job.

Apparently taking too long to respond, the woman snapped, "Well?"

"Um…" Kagome began when someone spoke quietly, interrupting.

"P-please, excuse my sister. Miki sometimes doesn't think before she speaks." A second, much more soft-spoken, woman appeared. She was similar in features to the first, though her hair was a light coppery blond, with a broad teal bandana functioning as a headband, and her eyes were more yellow-green than her sister's.

The woman named Miki rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. Then, faintly, Kagome heard her mutter, "Sorry."

Her sister extended her hand, smiling a little shyly. "I'm Momo. Welcome to the Bakeneko Cat Sanctuary. Um, are you just visiting or were you looking to adopt?"

Kagome shook her hand and returned the smile. "I'm Kagome. I am looking to adopt a cat, but also I saw the sign in the window? Are you hiring or looking for volunteers?"

Momo's eyes widened slightly. "Oh! Well, um, actually, the thing is… We've got plenty of volunteers, but only one can commit to a set schedule. Because of that, we want to hire at least one other person besides the two of us who can work a regular schedule. So, um, if…if you're interested…you would be paid," she explained, her gentle voice not much louder than a whisper.

"Well…" Kagome hesitated. "When you say regular…could I work part time? I'm finishing my last semester at the university."

Miki shrugged. "Don't see why not. You okay with that, sis?"

"Of course! _Demo…_ " Momo paused for a moment, looking uncomfortable. "Do…do you have any experience?"

Relieved that her hesitation hadn't been over something else, Kagome grinned. "Actually, yes. It's been a while, but the summer before my first year of college I worked at a veterinary clinic as a receptionist. So I'm by no means an expert, but I'm not totally clueless."

Momo's face brightened, and even the aloof Miki managed to look pleased.

"Oh, oh, that's wonderful! Since you're here to possibly adopt today, um, what if you come back tomorrow before we open and we can work out the details and your schedule?"

Kagome nodded. "Perfect. I can come at eleven, which should give me plenty of time to get to my afternoon class."

A musical tinkling came from the bell on the door, and then Natsumi skipped up to stand next to Kagome.

"Did you find a cat for your mom?" she asked a tad too cheerfully.

 _What's she up to…_ Kagome wondered, making a mental note to ask later.

"Actually, I found a job!"

"Huh?" Natsumi tilted her head in confusion. Then her lips curled in a feline grin. "So you're going to work here at the cat sanctuary? In Ukiyoe Town?"

Kagome gave her a look. "Yes…"

Momo seemed baffled as well, while Miki merely rolled her eyes and stalked off toward the rear of the building.

"That's great!" Natsumi said. Grabbing Kagome's arm, she turned to Momo. "Momo-chan, we're gonna look around, see if we can find a kitty for her family shrine?"

"Oh! Of course, I'll come too in case you have questions," Momo said, grabbing a squirt of sanitizer from the bottle at the reception desk before heading over.

Kagome rubbed the hand sanitizer in thoroughly and followed Momo into the room, gently scooting back a solid black would-be escapee with the side of her foot and sidestepping a hyper gray tabby kitten who careened stiff-legged across the room. Natsumi slid in behind her, narrowly avoiding another wired kitten thundering after the gray tabby. Meows and trills and chattering in a wide range of pitches met her ears, and to Kagome, it sounded a little bit like heaven.

Upon seeing Momo, several cats wound through her legs and mewed loudly, and the woman giggled quietly. "They know I'm a soft touch when it comes to giving treats," Momo said guiltily.

Kagome shook her head, smiling. "I have a feeling I'll be the same way!"

Momo gestured to the room. "P-please, look around, play with the cats, and um, feel free to get any out of the cages unless it says otherwise. I'm going to give these demanding babies some treats."

As Kagome meandered through the room, stooping to scratch behind the ears of a cat here and peer into a cage there, Miki was working on changing litter boxes and refreshing food and water. Though the woman came across as brusque and cold, what Kagome observed told a different story.

Miki was gentle with overexcited kittens that suctioned themselves to her hand or arm like furry limpets, and she was attentive and thorough with the geriatric residents who were sometimes irritable and less appreciative of her attentions. And once or twice, Kagome saw a faint smile tease her lips when she paused to play with a cat.

Then, as Kagome glanced up from where she was kneeling to pet an affectionate tabby, she saw them.

 _Ears?_

Miki had leaned down to place a bowl of fresh water in one cage when, from the cage above, a paw shot out, batting playfully at the hat Miki wore and knocking it back to the point it almost fell off. Hidden underneath her hat, Miki had cat ears.

Quickly directing her gaze down toward the orange tabby she stroked and pretending not to have seen anything when Miki readjusted her cap, Kagome focused hard and attempted to extend the tiniest strand of her senses out, hoping not to alert Miki—or any other yokai in the area—to what she was doing.

"Kagome-chan? Whatcha grinning for?" Natsumi asked, coming to crouch next to her.

 _I'm grinning because this cat sanctuary is run by_ —a second check confirmed it— _two cat yokai._ As a thought occurred to her, Kagome almost smacked herself in the forehead. _Holy hell, I'm an idiot. "Bakeneko Cat Sanctuary"? Of course they're cat yokai…_

"Huh? Um, well, he's just so sweet," Kagome said, nodding toward the tabby headbutting her thigh and rubbing against her leg.

Natsumi plopped on the floor cross-legged, and the feline hopped in her lap and curled into a ball, purring loudly. Natsumi giggled. "Clearly! Looks like I'm stuck here for a bit. Let me know if you find one for your mom!"

Kagome reined in her powers tightly—before she either got caught or her focus failed and she was overwhelmed by the energy in the area—and resumed perusing the sanctuary occupants.

Suddenly, a paw reached out from a cage and slapped at her leg insistently, yet gently. When Kagome looked down, a pair of green eyes the color of peridots met hers. Squatting down, she found a white-with-black-spots adult cat with a bright pink nose and slightly kittenish face, whose name according to the card on the cage was "Apollo."

Kagome caught Momo's eye and gestured at the cat. "Is he available for adoption?"

"Oh, y-yes, Apollo is ready to be placed in a good home." Momo eyed her speculatively. "You don't mind getting an adult?"

"Actually, an adult would probably be better for Mama. She wants an indoor-outdoor cat to keep down rodents and other pests at the shrine."

Momo nodded. "Why don't you get him out, play with him for a bit? He's quite sweet. Here"—Momo handed her some ring-shaped toys—"if you toss these, he'll fetch for you."

Kagome did as Momo suggested, and after several minutes of playing with Apollo, she was completely smitten.

"He's precious! Why the name Apollo, just out of curiosity?"

"Nee-san must've been in a Greek myth mood. 'Cause we've also got Ares, Eris, and Aphrodite," Miki answered.

Momo flushed slightly. "I…I like using themes to come up with names sometimes…"

Kagome grinned. "I like it! It's cute." She pointed to Apollo. "We'll take him, today if you have a carrier I can borrow."

Miki gave her a sharp nod and disappeared through the doorway at the back of the room, returning with a small cat carrier. "Bring it back when you come tomorrow, will ya? We don't exactly have a ton to spare."

Kagome gave her a cheery smile and a thumbs-up, and Momo shook her head in exasperation at her sister.

"Let me, um, get some paperwork for you to fill out and then copies of his records for you," Momo said.

Natsumi stayed seated on the floor in the cat room, giving treats and amusing the cats with toys, while Kagome followed Momo into the reception area, where she filled out paperwork and Momo gave her a rundown of everything—shots, microchip, adoption fee, et cetera.

They were just finishing up when the front door opened, its bell ringing brightly. Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw Natsumi leap up and come in from the cat room.

"Kuro! What are you doing here?" Natsumi asked, and for some reason, though she couldn't be certain, Kagome thought her friend's surprise sounded a little forced.

"H-hi, Kurotabō-san," Momo stammered, inclining her head to him slightly. Just before Kagome turned to meet Natsumi's boyfriend, the bell rang again, and she saw Momo's eyes go wide.

" _S-sanda_ — Rikuo-sama! Please, come in!"

Kagome spun to see none other than Nura Rikuo standing in the doorway, dressed in black slacks and a crisp royal-blue button-down, with a couple buttons at the top left open. Next to him was a man dressed in a pinstripe suit, his black hair pulled into a tidy ponytail. When her gaze met Rikuo's, he initially looked startled. Then he winked at her, and her brain short-circuited momentarily.

 _Ehhhhh? What's he doing here?_

Natsumi bounced up to the two men, wrapping her arms around the forearm of the one Kagome assumed to be Kurotabō. Something about him niggled at the back of Kagome's mind as she stared at him. She couldn't put her finger on it, but for some reason he reminded her of Miroku.

She was almost about to ask, not even considering how odd it might sound, if he had any ancestors by that name—or Sango's—when Natsumi spoke.

"Kagome-chan, this is Kurotabō, and Nura Rikuo, his…boss. Guys, this is Higurashi Kagome."

Rikuo gave a slow smirk. "Oh, we've met."

This time, Natsumi appeared genuinely surprised, yet her boyfriend's expression remained unreadable.

Refusing to lose her composure around Rikuo a third time, Kagome raised an eyebrow, regarding him sternly. "Yes, we have. However, I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Kurotabō-san. It's so good to finally meet you!"

Rikuo seemed lightly taken aback at her reproach, and Kurotabō's lips twitched. Then he bowed his head briefly. "Likewise, Higurashi-san." He gazed down for a moment at Natsumi, his look shifting to a mixture of amusement and long-suffering. "I was not informed that Natsumi was accompanying anyone today."

Natsumi shot him a look. "And _I_ was not 'informed' that Rikuo-kun knew Kagome-chan… Did you by any chance know that?"

"Well…"

The two began speaking earnestly in lower tones, and even though it was evident Natsumi was giving him a hard time, the sparkle in her friend's eyes told Kagome that she was enjoying herself thoroughly.

 _Meddlesome matchmaker… I'm not surprised she conned Kurotabō into helping her, albeit without his knowledge…_

"So, how long were you planning on making me wait?"

Kagome jumped. Rikuo was suddenly standing very close to her, and she wasn't sure she'd even seen him move.

"What?" _Oh, the text…_ She felt her cheeks grow warm. "I, um… You see, I was busy, and…"

He gave her that little half smile she found so damned appealing. "No problem, Kagome-chan. How about I take you out tonight?"

She opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Natsumi burst in. "Oh no, you don't! First we're taking Apollo—the cat—to her mom's, and then tonight she's _my_ date, and I won't have you poaching her, not after how long it took me to get her to actually do it!" Natsumi enunciated her statement with pokes into his chest, and Rikuo waved his arms in defeat.

"Oi, oi, Natsumi-chan, relax. You win. I won't steal her from you. Not tonight anyway…" He gave Kagome a sidelong glance from under his tousled black-brown bangs that made her heart race.

Natsumi went from looking fiercely possessive to calculating, her catlike eyes zeroing in on their interactions.

 _Oh hell. I'm going to get interrogated tonight._

She was saved momentarily by Kurotabō asking, "So you were here to adopt a cat, Higurashi-san?"

"Oh, yes, and I found one. But also I saw their sign about hiring, and I actually got a part-time job here too," she said, glancing over her shoulder to smile at Momo, who was silently watching them, a slightly shell-shocked look on her face.

"Ho? Is that right?" For some reason, Rikuo appeared smug, and Kagome pinned him with a glare.

"What, is there a problem? Not that it's any of _your_ business who they decide to hire," she said, hands fisted on her hips.

To her amazement, Rikuo started laughing, Natsumi and Kurotabō both widened their eyes, and from behind her, Momo cleared her throat softly.

"Ah… Actually, um, Rikuo-sama is…kind of our boss… His"—she hesitated—"um, family, um…owns the property. So it _is_ his business."

 _Great. Just fucking great. Only I would manage to be rude to my bosses' boss before I even start working._

Kagome smiled apologetically, trying to figure out exactly how to remove the feet she'd figuratively planted in her mouth without making things more awkward.

Natsumi, perhaps picking up on Kagome's discomfort and hoping to change the subject, piped up. "So, Kagome-chan, how did you meet Rikuo-kun?"

"At the library," they said simultaneously, and Natsumi rolled her eyes.

"Of course…she practically lives there…"

Kagome started to protest, when Kurotabō spoke. "Natsumi, I assumed the two of you would require transportation, but I have some business to attend to, so I contacted Kejōrō. She's outside as soon as you are ready."

Kagome blinked. She'd forgotten that Natsumi refused to take the metro, though since she now had Apollo, this would be more convenient.

"Here, let me help," Rikuo said, taking Apollo's carrier and opening the front door for her and Natsumi.

She said good-bye to Momo and Miki, assuring them she'd bring the carrier back tomorrow, and Natsumi gave Kurotabō a brief squeeze, causing him to blush slightly, before both girls preceded Rikuo out the door.

He then opened the car door for them, and Kagome scooted in first, taking the carrier from him, and Natsumi slid in after.

"Yo, Kejōrō! Take good care of my girls, will ya?"

The woman in the driver's seat, who had extremely long, wavy brown hair covering one side of her face and large, expressive green eyes, had swiveled around to regard them, and she smiled prettily at Rikuo. "Of course, Rikuo-sama!"

An unexpected flash of jealousy shot through Kagome, catching her so off guard she didn't even process Rikuo's inclusion of her as one of "his girls."

 _Just who is this 'Kejōrō' woman? And what's she to Rikuo?_ Not that it mattered to her… Nope. Not one bit. She didn't care at all about the beautiful, buxom woman who evidently Rikuo knew well.

Apollo's mrow of annoyance at being in the carrier drew her out of her green-eyed thoughts, and when she looked up, Rikuo's gaze met hers. One side of his mouth lifted in a smirk that made her feel a little breathless. "You still owe me a text. I'll be waiting," he said cheekily, and with a quick wave, he shut the car door.

The other two women in the car peered her curiously, and then, Kejōrō asked, "So…where are we headed?"

Natsumi explained the plan to drop off Apollo before going to Kagome's apartment, giving her the address for the shrine, and as they pulled away from the cat sanctuary, Kagome saw Kurotabō join Rikuo outside, both watching as the car drove away.

* * *

Rikuo heard the bell chime as the cat sanctuary door opened. "Kejōrō? Really, Kuro?" he asked as the man approached.

"Yuki-Onna was busy with the Arawashi family, plus Kejōrō offered," Kurotabō replied.

Rikuo snorted. "Offered? You mean the nosy woman leapt at the opportunity to see 'Rikuo-sama's miko' firsthand." No matter how many times he denied that Kagome was _his_ anything, the Nuragumi persisted in referring to her that way.

Kurotabō said nothing, a pensive expression on his face. Then, "She has youki."

Rikuo stared at him, bewildered. "Kejōrō?"

The monk sighed deeply. "The miko."

"Oh, okay… Wait, what?! She has Fear? Kagome?" Rikuo asked incredulously. Though, the more he contemplated it, it would explain why her aura had felt off to him.

"Miko and obvious reiki notwithstanding, she most certainly has yokai-centric energy—youki. Whether she is even aware of it, or has used it enough to make it her own Fear… That I do not know."

Rikuo scoffed. "How could she not know? She's a miko."

"Rikuo-sama, have you considered that perhaps she is unaware of her miko abilities?" Kurotabō asked patiently.

It was, in fact, something Rikuo had _not_ considered. He'd just assumed she knew. "If you're right, then she's hardly a threat to the Nura clan," Rikuo said, feeling decidedly pleased at the possibility.

Kurotabō nodded. "However… It is unwise to be hasty and jump to conclusions. You said she met with the Keikain onmyoji? Perhaps he has some insight into whether or not she knows, about either her reiki or youki."

"He referred to her as a miko, but so have we. And…" Rikuo paused, recalling the conversation he'd had with Ryūji. "Now that I think about it, that bastard knew she had youki… And had no intentions of telling me." He sighed, annoyed at both himself for being so obtuse and at the onmyoji for being such a smug asshole.

He saw Kurotabō fight back a smile. "Somehow that does not surprise me. But we can continue this discussion later—Momo and Miki are no doubt waiting, impatiently on Miki's part, to give you a tour."

Rikuo nodded and then grinned. "Oi, Kuro, a thousand yen says that Miki makes a rude or inappropriate comment and Momo gets flustered."

Kuro laughed. "No deal, Rikuo-sama. Now if you want to wager on how _many_ times it happens…"

They headed inside the cat sanctuary, talking in low voices as they worked out the details of the bet.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:  
** **1.** Kagome still doesn't know that Kuro and Natsumi are getting married, hence her thinking of him as Natsumi's "boyfriend" rather than fiancé.  
 **2.** The cat sanctuary is largely based off one I visited several years ago in Rome—the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary. It's an incredibly cool place, and if you ever find yourself in Italy (well, Rome, specifically) and you like cats, I definitely recommend a visit. Obviously some things have been tweaked for the purposes of my story, but that's where the bulk of the inspiration came from.  
 **3.** And thank goodness Natsumi did us all a favor and gave Rikuo and Kagome a little nudge in the right direction. We can only hope that Kagome actually _does_ text him sometime within the next century.

Thanks again for reading!


	12. Chapter 11

I've come to the realization, while writing, that my opinion of Ryūji has shifted _drastically_ since my first introduction to him in the anime in season 2. I grew to tolerate him in the anime, then begrudgingly acknowledge that he wasn't _that_ bad in the manga...and now I find myself actually enjoying the little shit. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Thank you to all who read and review and continue to be so wonderfully supportive.

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"I'm sorry. I'm used to people objecting to things because they think I can't do them or shouldn't do them. It didn't occur to me that you might have a real reason."  
 **―Ryūji, probably** (Actually, it's from _Searching for Dragons_ by Patricia C. Wrede)

"Try, try, try just a little bit harder  
So I can love, love, love him, I tell myself  
Well, I'm gonna try, just a little bit harder  
So I can't give, give, give, give him to nobody else."  
 **―Janis Joplin** "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)"

* * *

Despite his promise, Masatsugu did not send Ryūji the materials he'd requested by noon on Wednesday. Instead, midafternoon, he got a text message saying "Sorry," followed by one from Akifusa that just said, "Incoming…"

Thus, when his phone rang, he wasn't at all surprised to see Yura's name.

"My adorable little sister, to what do I owe this honor?" he asked, though he was under no illusions what she was calling about.

Her tone was frosty. "Cut the crap, onii-chan. Last I checked, I didn't send you to Tokyo to goof off with random girls."

"Yura…did Masatsugu not tell you that I think she might be connected—" She cut him off before he could finish.

"Bullshit," Yura snapped. _Interesting…_ Though she was the head of the Keikain, she usually treated him with marginally more respect, and her language was not typically so…colorful. Something—likely himself—had really riled her up. "What progress have you made on the actual job you're supposed to be doing?"

"Damn, who pissed in your TKG this morning? Look, I'm working on it, but there's not been a whole lot to go on so far. You're going to have to give me more time," Ryūji replied. **(1)**

"Time is not a luxury you have anymore. Yesterday I got a call from the deputy superintendent general—contrary to whatever you thought, it was not just some arbitrary superstitious police officer who requested our assistance—and you shot yourself in the foot with this Higurashi research nonsense. You've been there almost a week and have next to nothing to show for it. I'm giving you till Monday."

"Or what?" he couldn't resist asking.

"Or I'm yanking your sorry ass back to Kyoto and _I'll_ handle this mess," she said acidly. "Honestly… You're one of the most knowledgeable onmyoji we have. I expected more from you, Ryūji-nii-chan."

He rolled his eyes even though she couldn't see him. "Fine, fine, I'll see what I can do. But I still want that stuff I asked Masatsugu for."

Yura huffed. "If—and only if—you send me evidence you're actually making some progress." She paused for a moment and then added, "And don't forget you're supposed to get Nura-kun's help. He and the Nuragumi may be a valuable resource for this case."

He made a noncommittal noise and then asked, "Are you done bitching at me yet? I've got work to do you know."

"Remind me again why on earth I rely on you?" Ryūji could almost see her massaging her temples in irritation. He smirked.

"'Cause you love me."

"Riiiight…" Yura gave a short laugh. Then, "Anyway, I've got things to do, and as you so kindly pointed out, so do you. Keep me updated, and do try not to make the Keikain look bad, will ya?"

They said their good-byes and hung up, and though he was a more than a little annoyed by Yura's interference, Ryūji wasn't one to back down from a challenge. By Monday morning, that research he'd asked Masatsugu for would be his.

* * *

Kagome was shocked—while she had been hounded into giving more details surrounding her and Rikuo's meeting, Natsumi had yet to give Kagome the third degree. In fact, she'd almost been uncharacteristically quiet, simply making polite conversation with Kagome and the brunette Kejōrō about superficial topics like the weather and Apollo. It made Kagome suspicious, since normally Natsumi was quite the scheming matchmaker.

 _Either there's something else on her mind, or she's concocting some really crazy scheme…._ She'd wrangle it out of her friend later.

They hadn't lingered long at the shrine when they dropped off Apollo, who her mom had been thoroughly enamored with upon meeting the precious white-and-black cat. Kagome had no doubt he would be utterly spoiled between her mom and her grandfather, who'd also approved heartily of Kagome's adoption, not to mention her brother, who had yet to meet Apollo. Before they'd left, Kagome's mom had managed to extract promises that they would stop by more frequently. Not that it would be a hardship to do so for either of the girls—she missed being at the shrine with her family, and her family always welcomed Natsumi warmly with open arms as though she were Kagome's sister.

When said girl glanced over at her, Kagome tilted her head, thinking. " _Ne_ , Natsumi-chan, you ever gonna tell me why you avoid using the subway?"

A shadow crossed Natsumi's face briefly, as though she were repressing some horrific memory, before she acted nonchalant and gave Kagome a mischievous look. "I don't know… Are _you_ ever going to tell me why you're so obsessed with yokai?"

Kagome shifted in the back seat, looking away. "I…I just like them. And I grew up hearing stories about them from my grandfather."

"Nuh-uh. That level of obsession? Add that Yuka told me you weren't the same after your coma, and all the mysterious illnesses she said you'd had… Let's be honest, they might have bought into all those ailing health excuses, but I know the sound of somebody trying to hide something." She gave her friend a pointed stare. "Come on, who gets diabetes and then miraculously recovers?"

"Hey, it could happen!" Kagome tried to look innocent, but Natsumi wasn't convinced.

"Yeah, if it's gestational diabetes, and I have a funny feeling that you weren't pregnant. _And_ you never really got sick freshman or sophomore year, except for normal-type illnesses, not obscure ones. Nah, something happened that made you obsessed with yokai. Believe me, I should know. My old classmate Kiyotsugu—"

Kagome's eyes lit up, and she interrupted, "Kiyotsugu? Like of the Kiyojūji paranormal investigation website?"

"A-ha!" Natsumi said triumphantly. "I knew it! If you're getting on that site, there's no question that you're obsessed. We have a lot of catching up to do. But first…for dinner—cook or order?"

Kagome made a face at mention of cooking. "Order, definitely."

"Works for me—my treat!"

"Don't think you're fooling me, Natsumi-chan. You just want to get pizza."

She got a sly grin and a shrug in response. "Kuro doesn't like it, and you do, so win-win for me, even if I do have to pay!" Natsumi said happily.

 _Some things never change._

* * *

Once they were back at the apartment, their food delivered, they settled down in Kagome's small living room. Before even taking a bite of her coveted pizza, Natsumi pinned Kagome with her odd cat-eyed gaze.

"First things first, you've lost weight and you look tired. Are you skipping meals? Sleeping?"

"Ugh, Natsumi-chan, you're as bad as my mom. I'm…just stressed about school and this final semester."

"Uh-huh." Natsumi didn't look convinced. "You still doing that yokai research?"

Kagome nodded and took a bite of her pizza, chewing slowly, knowing where this was going.

"So, now that you've met him… You gonna take the recommendation I've been giving you for _years_ and talk to Rikuo-kun? He's very knowledgeable about that sort of thing."

Kagome swallowed before saying suspiciously, "You know, you say that, but you've never said _why_ you claim Rikuo's knowledgeable about yokai and folklore."

"Oh, that's easy—our entire group was subjected to Kiyotsugu-kun's ranting and lecturing about yokai for years," Natsumi said, gesturing with her pizza. "I just didn't pay attention nearly as much as Rikuo-kun, so he'll remember more than I do and be far more helpful."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Natsumi-chan, don't think I can't smell your matchmaking schemes from a mile away. You've been using the same tactics for forever."

Her friend only looked more determined. "All the more reason for you to finally give in, right? Hey, what if we go on a double-date?" Natsumi asked.

Kagome shook her head and then sighed. "I'll think about it. Maybe."

"Oh, and what was that little bit about you texting him? Care to fill me in?" Kagome felt a flush creeping up her neck, and Natsumi raised an eyebrow. "Kagome-chan…do you have a thing for Rikuo-kun?"

By how hot her face had grown, she knew she had to be fiery red. "I… I don't know… I don't know him well enough yet." Attempting to change the subject, Kagome said, "Anyway, I believe that in exchange for dinner, you agreed to tell me whatever news you withheld last week at the library."

Natsumi's eyes lit up, and her smile grew huge. "Well, you did earn it… Kuro and I, we're getting married!" She mock glared at Kagome. "Which you'd have known sooner if you'd bothered to contact me."

"What? Oh, that's fantastic—congrats! Seriously, you could have told me earlier so I could have congratulated _both_ of you today," she said, elbowing Natsumi gently.

Her friend held her hands up, attempting to appear blameless. "Not my fault. _Someone_ could have stayed in touch more often than every six months."

"Damn, you're like a broken record." Kagome tossed a pizza crust at her playfully, which Natsumi simply caught and set on her plate. "I'm going to be hearing about this for weeks, aren't I?" When Natsumi grinned wickedly, eyes gleaming, Kagome rolled her eyes. "At least pass along my congratulations to Kurotabō for me."

She suddenly recalled the odd sensation she'd had when she'd met Kurotabō, that feeling that he reminded her of Miroku for some reason.

Not mindful of how the question would sound, Kagome asked, " _Ne_ , Natsumi-chan, is Kurotabō-san a pervert?"

Natsumi nearly spat her drink out, struggling to swallow, eyes wide. "What? Why?"

Kagome felt ridiculous having said that out loud. _What was I thinking?_ "I'm so sorry—that was rude of me. He just, well, reminded me of an old friend who had…wandering hands."

Natsumi laughed. "It's sort of funny you say that. I don't think I ever told you, but one of the first times we met, Kuro accidentally groped me on the subway. I thought Saori-chan was going to murder him, even though he'd merely lost his balance and was horrified about it."

"Oh, my friend was far more intentional about it. I'm surprised he didn't have a permanent handprint on his face considering how many women slapped him," Kagome said, giggling. Then, "You know, to be honest, I was a little surprised Kurotabō seemed so nice, so normal. You were always so secretive about him that I figured he was involved in something shady or was yakuza or something."

Natsumi choked on the bite of pizza she'd been chewing. Once she'd finally swallowed, she gave a nervous little laugh. "Sorry, pizza down the wrong way… But yakuza?" Another nervous giggle. "You've got such an imagination, Kagome-chan." **(2)**

The way her friend was fidgeting with her napkin and averting her eyes made Kagome suspicious, but before she could say something, Natsumi piped up.

"So…have you texted Rikuo-kun?"

 _Shit, I should have known she wouldn't forget about that. I'd hoped I'd distracted her…_

"Um… Not yet…" she said sheepishly.

"When did he give you his number?"

"Monday."

Natsumi frowned, and she pointed at Kagome's phone. "Do it. Now."

"Do I have to?" Natsumi nodded sharply, her expression stern. "Why now?" Kagome whined.

"Because it's not nice to keep him waiting. Besides, I know you like him, so you're being ridiculous."

Since Kagome couldn't deny either of those statements, she picked up her phone and typed out a text under Natsumi's watchful eye.

 **Kagome:** It's Kagome…do you still want to get together for coffee?

A moment later, he replied.

 **Rikuo:** Sure – you free tomorrow afternoon?  
 **Kagome:** I get out of class at 2:45. Is the coffee shop on campus okay?  
 **Rikuo:** works for me. looking forward to it ;-)

Natsumi grinned happily. "See, was that so hard?"

Kagome groaned. "You're a real pain in my ass, ya know?"

As they teased one another and chatted about various topics for a while, catching up on what they'd missed out on in each other's lives since they'd last gotten together, Kagome began wondering why she'd shut Natsumi out. Unlike some of her junior high and high school friends, Natsumi didn't grate on her nerves—no matter what Kagome might claim, even with Natsumi's incessant matchmaking attempts—and though people often dismissed her as silly, she was far smarter than people gave her credit for, not to mention she had an uncanny ability to pick up on people's emotions. _In spite of my initial reluctance…I'm actually having a lot of fun. Damn I can be an idiot sometimes._

Eventually, the conversation circled back to Kagome's independent study and the topic of yokai. Kagome had a sneaking suspicion it was intentional so that Natsumi could badger her more about Rikuo and that double-date idea she'd proposed.

In an attempt to steer the topic away from whatever her relationship was with Rikuo, Kagome said the first thing that came to mind. "So I've never asked but since you mentioned Kiyotsugu and all—do you believe in yokai? Or the supernatural?"

Something Kagome couldn't identify crossed her friend's face briefly, and Natsumi gave her a strange little smile. "Yes, yes, I do."

That was not at all what Kagome had anticipated, and her mouth fell open. "What? Really? Wait, have you seen one? You have to tell me!" Kagome said excitedly.

Natsumi pursed her lips and gave her head a small shake. "That's a discussion for another night, when we have more time and it isn't already so late. It's a loooong story."

 _What the hell does that mean?_ Kagome jutted her lower lip out, disappointed.

Natsumi laughed softly. "No pouting, silly. I promise I'll tell you soon."

 _She's probably trying to figure out a way to use this to bait me into doing something she wants, like that double-date idea or_ kami _only knows what._

Her friend's comments about their friend Kiyotsugu and Rikuo's yokai knowledge surfaced in her mind. "So, does that mean Rikuo believes in yokai, too?" she asked, more wondering out loud than actually asking her friend.

"Hmm…can't say… You'd have to ask Rikuo-kun about that," Natsumi said cryptically.

As soon as Kagome opened her mouth to complain about her friend's evasiveness, Natsumi's phone buzzed.

"Oops! It's already five till eight. I completely lost track of time!" Kagome recalled on the car ride over Natsumi had mentioned her having an early class and Kuro would pick her up around eight o'clock. "Kuro's almost here, but promise you'll call or text me? Please please please?" Natsumi pleaded.

Kagome laughed. "I promise."

Those cat eyes turned mischievous. "And you promise you'll consider a double-date with me and Kuro and you and Rikuo-kun?"

She pursed her lips in a mock scowl but nodded. "Yes, Natsumi-chan, I'll consider it."

"I'm going to hold you to that!" Natsumi grinned, and Kagome groaned.

"I said I would _consider_ it, you pain-in-the-ass wannabe cupid!"

* * *

When Rikuo's cell phone alerted him of a new text, he snatched it up quickly, perhaps a little too eagerly. Then, when he saw who it was from, his grin dropped.

 _Ryūji_. Not Kagome. _Damn…_

In reply to Ryūji's inquiry—whether or not he had any news—Rikuo sent "Nothing on my end so far. At least not with what we've got to go on. You?"

He pulled his pipe out of his sleeve as he watched the little ellipsis dots move, and then, amidst Rikuo blowing smoke rings to amuse himself as he waited, Ryūji finally responded.

 **Ryūji:** It's your lucky day. Or rather, it will be on Friday. Sergeants Dumb and Dumber are making copies of the last three months' worth of unresolved missing persons cases, plus any unidentified homicide victims. The way I see it, we'll have more luck making our own inferences than relying on the half-assed reports they've given me

That _was_ promising—much better than just using the little they had gathered themselves, secondhand reports, or public records. He didn't know how Ryūji had coerced the police department into agreeing to give them copies, but on the other hand, he didn't want to know.

 **Rikuo:** You getting copies for both of us?  
 **Ryūji:** Is the Pope Catholic?

 _Sometimes I don't even know why I bother trying._

 **Rikuo:** I'll take that as a yes. When and where on Friday?  
 **Ryūji:** Supposed to have the stuff from the PD by noon, but since my confidence in them is zilch, meet me around 1 at my hotel  
 **Rikuo:** What happened to being subtle, not letting whoever's doing this know we're collaborating?  
 **Ryūji:** Fuck subtle. Subtle isn't getting anything accomplished, other than Yura riding my ass. Not to mention I'd like to go home sometime this month

Well, Rikuo couldn't argue with that—he wanted to get this done and Ryūji to go home too. Rather than saying as much, however, he simply told the onmyoji he'd see him Friday.

Then, a horrifying realization hit him— _three_ _months_ ' worth of records? Groaning audibly, he ran a hand through his hair and then leaned his head back against the sakura tree trunk. At least he had coffee tomorrow with Kagome to look forward to. But he had a feeling Friday was going to be a _long_ day…

* * *

 **Footnote:**  
 **1.** TKG, or Tamago kake gohan, is a Japanese breakfast of rice with raw egg and soy sauce, that Yura loves, as did her grandfather, Hidemoto the 27th. There's a cute little bonus in the 13th volume of the manga involving dried aconite root and the two of them.  
 **2.** In multiple places the Nura clan members refer to themselves as "yakuza yokai" or "yokai yakuza" or are referred to as such by others.

 **Author's Notes:** I know this chapter was short, but to be honest, it's kind of a "necessary evil" transition chapter. But aside from that fact, can we all agree that Natsumi is MVP for giving Kagome a boot in the ass? Thanks to her, coming soon, is finally some some one-on-one Kag/Rikuo time!


	13. Chapter 12

A big thank-you to **impracticaldemon** for her help with this chapter and brainstorming. Anyway, here's chapter twelve. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"No cat out of its first fur was ever deceived by appearances, unlike human beings, who seem to enjoy it."  
 **–** **Peter S. Beagle** , _The Last Unicorn_

"Sometimes you lose a battle. But mischief always wins the war."  
 **–** **John Green,** _Looking for Alaska_

* * *

Thursday morning at 11:00 a.m. sharp, Kagome rapped her knuckles against the door to the Bakeneko Cat Sanctuary. She heard the snick of a lock, and then the door opened, revealing a frazzled-looking Momo, her eyes slightly glazed and her headband askew—though her cat ears were still hidden, Kagome noted. Upon seeing Kagome, Momo let out a huge sigh, shoulders drooping and visible relief showing on her face.

"Oh, thank goodness it's you," she said, ushering Kagome in and relocking the door behind her.

Inside, Kagome heard loud, high-pitched mewls, ones she hadn't heard the day before. She cocked her head. "Kittens?"

"Uh-huh." Momo massaged the bridge of her nose, and then waved at Kagome. "Come with me and we'll explain."

She led Kagome through the door behind the reception desk. It opened to a long hallway and more doorways, and Kagome followed her into one of the doors on the right.

Inside were a couple of chairs, a metal exam table, a few empty cages, and a sink counter with cabinets underneath. On the floor, next to half of a dog crate with towels and blankets inside, sat Miki, three wobbly blue-eyed kittens in her lap.

When the darker-haired girl glanced up, she seemed just as weary as her sister, despite it not even being noon yet.

"Sit down," Miki said, her tone brooking no argument. Kagome sat, and Miki handed her some towels that felt as if they'd just come out of the dryer. Then she handed her two of the mewling kittens, an orange tabby bobtail and a tortoiseshell with a stubby tail, though not as short as the tabby. Miki held the third, what appeared to be a seal point bobtail, and began bottle-feeding it. As she did so, Momo began to explain.

"When we, um, got here first thing this morning, there was a cardboard box waiting for us, and these babies were in it. No information, no mother, just, um, them." She ran a hand through her hair and straightened her headband.

"Could've been worse, nee-san. And it probably won't be the last time some prick dumps something on our doorstep," Miki said, frowning.

"Miki! Language!" Momo scolded. Her sister merely rolled her eyes.

Kagome laughed. "It's fine. Really. So how old are they? Will they…" she trailed off, not sure how to ask.

"Live?" Miki finished bluntly. Kagome nodded. "According to the vet, they're actually quite healthy; they're just a tad too young to be without a mother. His theory is that they're from some asshat breeder who didn't want to keep them since they're flawed. Hard to say if his theory's right since they don't look like purebreds. At least they're here and not in a dumpster somewhere," Miki said, jaw clenching.

Kagome jolted, shocked. "People do that?" Both women nodded, eyes dark. "That's horrible! And how are they flawed? They look perfect to me," she said, running her fingers gently over the fussy kittens in her lap.

"Um, well, you see, her tail is too long for a bobtail"—Momo stroked the tortoiseshell—"and the vet said this guy has an underbite, so they wouldn't want to breed him because of that." She pointed to the orange tabby.

"And this little girl's colorpoint on her face is flawed, see?" Miki turned the kitten so Kagome could see clearly, and Kagome stifled a gasp.

Despite having a solid brown bobtail instead of two full tails with a couple stripes, the tiny kitten bore a strong resemblance to Kirara. She was mostly cream, with seal points on her ears, feet, and tail, but where she should've had a brown mask per colorpoint standards, she only had a splotch of brown above her nose and in between her eyes, much like Kirara's.

"I think she's beautiful," Kagome breathed, and Momo and Miki exchanged confused looks. Then they smiled, even Miki.

"Damn right she is. Here, she's done eating, so take her and give me one of the others."

Kagome took her from Miki and handed her the tortoiseshell, who protested loudly.

Momo giggled. "She's a sassy one, that tortie. Um, anyway, before we talk about your schedule and what you'll usually be doing, we need to show you how to care for these guys, since for about a week, maybe less, we'll need to bottle-feed them as we wean them and transition them to cat food. Luckily they're just old enough to use a, um, litter box."

Together, Momo and Miki explained how to feed them and how often, to document when and how much they ate as well as their weight once a day, to warm the hot water bottle and towels, and other details she needed to be aware of for assisting in hand-rearing the orphans.

When they were finished, Kagome cleared her throat. "So…this might sound silly…but do they have names yet?"

Momo shook her head. "We hadn't really had time. It was, um, kind of frantic, finding them, getting the vet here to examine them, on top of normal morning routine stuff. Do…do you want to help us name them?" she asked softly.

Without hesitating, Kagome said, "The seal point girl. Can we call her Kirara?"

Miki shrugged. "Fine by me. How 'bout Tora for the boy?"

Momo raised an eyebrow. "You know Dad's not going to like you naming a kitten after him." Miki snickered, and her sister just sighed in resignation. "Fine… And what about Hime for the tortie?"

Miki narrowed her eyes at her sister. "You got something to say to me, sis?"

Saying nothing, Momo simply gave her a sunny smile and then turned to Kagome, who was biting her lip to keep from laughing. _With the tortie's coat's similarity to Miki's hair color, I'd say Momo is definitely making a comment about her extremely non-princess-like sister._

"So, um, why Kirara?"

"Well…she reminds me of a cat I once knew." _A fire cat yokai…but I'll leave that part out for now._

"Oh, that's sweet. All right, now that they're taken care of, let's talk schedules and show you what you'll be doing."

By the time the sisters had shown Kagome the basics and given her a key and alarm code, it was time for her to head toward campus. As she left the cat sanctuary, she couldn't shake the feeling of someone watching her. Glancing around, she saw no one, just the stray cats at the cemetery. _Maybe just I'm just nervous about coffee with Rikuo? Or maybe it's just me sensing the cats?_

She tried taking a quick peek using her reiki, but quit after only a moment when she reluctantly acknowledged that there were more than a few—okay, a lot—of youki energies in Ukiyoe Town, and she was decidedly rusty on focusing on a single energy signature.

 _Speaking of which…_ Just the day before she'd been wishing she had a yokai friend to use for practice. _Perhaps I can make use of two cat yokai I'll be in close proximity to_. She grinned. Odds were they might notice what she was doing, and while she wasn't sure if she was ready to broach that subject with Miki and Momo quite yet, the benefits outweighed the risks. _And clearly I'm not a dangerous miko or I wouldn't be working with yokai… Surely I could convince them… Right?_

Preoccupied with plans for sharpening her skills, Kagome's nervousness over her impending coffee date ebbed away as she made her way to campus.

* * *

As the clock ticked closer and closer to 2:45 p.m., the anxiety began to return in full force.

 _Why is he making you so antsy? So you swore off dating a couple years back because of the jewel's curse—one date does not equal a long-term commitment!_ Kagome blew out a breath. Was it because she felt some kind of connection to Rikuo that she couldn't explain? She sighed again.

Kagome hadn't even noticed she'd been clicking her pen incessantly until a classmate turned around and hissed at her to stop. She was fairly certain she'd missed the last half hour of whatever her professor was discussing, not that she was overly fond of math anyway—she was only taking this class to fulfill her last requirement for graduation—but she had had every intention of paying attention since there was a test on Tuesday.

 _No use crying over ignored algebra._ She'd just use the review notes the professor posted online and spend extra time studying. _It's not like I pay_ that _much attention on normal class days…_

Once class let out, she calmed herself as she walked toward the coffee shop. She didn't spot Rikuo immediately, so she sat on a bench a few feet away.

As she waited, she tried to think of things that would help her in remaining non-antsy. _Grocery lists…laundry… Neither of those are particularly relaxing… Ooo, kittens._ Kagome thought fondly of the orphaned litter she'd met that morning. _I wonder if they'd let me adopt that little seal point girl…the one I named Kirara… Hmm…Mama certainly would be thrilled. But—_

"A yen for your thoughts?" a voice behind her asked.

Kagome jumped, having been so distracted by her musings that she hadn't heard anyone approach.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Rikuo managed to keep a straight face at her startling, but his brown eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Maybe you shouldn't sneak up on people!" Although she frowned, her tone belied any real irritation.

He smirked at her in response. Then, he held out a hand to her. "Shall we?"

Kagome took his hand, and he helped her to her feet—not that she really needed any help getting up off the bench, but the gesture was appreciated. The contact was brief, but she noticed his hand was pleasantly warm and slightly callused. If she were being honest, it somehow reminded her of Inuyasha's, minus the claws of course. And while his hair wasn't white nor nearly as long as Inuyasha's had been, something about the slightly messy, black-brown hair made her want to run her hands through it.

 _Why stop there? If the way that jacket and those pants fit are any indication, there's a seriously nice body under there too_ , the devil on her shoulder whispered. The angel on the other shoulder tapped her lips before shrugging and giving a thumbs-up.

Kagome gave herself a mental shake, and then, realizing she hadn't yet let go, once again momentarily lost in her own thoughts, she smiled and quickly released his hand. "Thanks."

Rikuo grinned. "Sure, any time."

That pesky colony of butterflies residing in her stomach took flight, whether from the physical contact or that smile of his that she found so appealing, who knew. _Simmer down, Kagome. At least make an effort to appear to be a functional adult instead of a hormonal teen._

"Um…thanks for coming all the way to campus… Is the coffee shop okay with you?"

He nodded. "After you," he said, gesturing toward the café.

Since the weather was nice, they opted to take their drinks outside and sit at one of the wrought-iron tables on the terrace. Kagome had gotten her usual café mocha, and Rikuo got tea, which made her laugh. "Really, tea? Their coffee isn't _that_ bad!"

"I will confess that I've actually never been here, aside from the other day, that is."

Kagome eyed him. "How have you not been here? Wait, I assumed you were a student too, since you were in the university library the other day."

Rikuo leaned back in his chair and spread his hands. "I was a student, but I wasn't usually _here_." She rolled her eyes at the non-answer, and he gave her a little half smile. "I took most of my classes for my business degree online. It was easier with my…job."

"Oh, makes sense. What do you do? If you don't mind my asking?"

He paused for a moment and said, "It's a family business." Rikuo didn't elaborate, so she didn't press him for details.

There was a lull in the conversation, and then he asked, "So are you from Tokyo originally?"

"Uh-huh, my family has a shrine across town, but I have an apartment just on the edge of campus. What about you? I assume if you took online classes that you didn't live on, or near, campus."

"You would assume correctly. I live at our clan's— I mean, our family's house in Ukiyoe Town," he answered, fiddling with his tea.

 _Clan? Odd word choice…_

She considered asking, but before she could, Rikuo spoke, "Oh! Speaking of Ukiyoe Town, when do you start at the cat sanctuary?"

Thinking of the kittens from earlier in the day brought another smile to her face. "Well, I kind of had 'orientation' this morning, but officially tomorrow. Did you know they've got kittens?" she asked excitedly.

Rikuo chuckled. "Is that not normal for a cat sanctuary, or are you always this enthusiastic about kittens?"

"Hey, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being excited about kittens. But if you're going to be like that, I don't have to tell you anything," Kagome said fiercely, folding her arms atop the table and pinning him with her gaze. When Rikuo held his hands up in playful surrender, she explained about the orphaned litter, finishing by saying, "You should come see them!"

"I should." Rikuo twisted his mouth and gazed upward, but what he was contemplating, she had no clue. Abruptly he asked, "Do you like sweets?"

"Huh?" The swift change in topics threw her. "Oh, yes, why?"

"I know a place that has great dango." He gave her a lopsided grin. "Maybe your boss can bring some by one day you're working."

"I think _my_ _boss_ just wants to see those kittens, not that he needs an excuse to stop by." Kagome laughed. "But…if you wanted to come by, I'll be at work both tomorrow afternoon and all day Saturday, and I won't say no to sweets."

Something occurred to Kagome, something she'd been curious about for a little while now, and she asked, "Hey, random question. Obviously I was there for research, but if you've already graduated, what you were doing at the university library?"

Rikuo rubbed the back of his neck, looking faintly awkward. "Hmm…truth be told, that day I just needed to get out of the house, clear my head. Cabin fever, or something."

Kagome tilted her head, puzzled. "So you went to the campus library?"

"Weird, right? I couldn't begin to tell you how I wound up there. Serendipity, I guess." He shrugged.

She nodded slowly, thinking not only about just how fortuitous it had been for her since he'd prevented her from splatting, but also about how since that day, her life had had a bit of a fruit basket upset. _And in the best of ways…_

As she refocused on the man before her, she noticed him studying her, as though he wanted to ask her a question. "Yes?" she prompted.

"You're awfully secretive about the nature of your research. Presumably because it is something risqué, though I can't imagine the Keikain being helpful for anything like that."

He asked this so casually, as if he were inquiring about the weather, that for a moment, she wondered if he seriously believed she was researching something racy. That is, until she noticed his lips twitch in a hint of a smile.

"Oh, you…" she huffed.

"Me? I merely made an observation." He raised his eyebrows skeptically and then sipped his tea, the picture of feigned innocence.

Then something dawned on her. "Hey, wait a second! Granted I wasn't specific, but I already told you that it was about mythology and folklore when you ran into me and Keikain-san." She wasn't quite ready to delve into the yokai aspect of that research with him yet.

He laughed. "Indeed you did. Guess you're not as easy to fool as I thought."

She gave him a mock scowl. "Well, I'm so glad you thought so highly of me. You know, 'you're not as dumb as you look' isn't exactly an effective way to compliment someone…"

"Who said anything about looking dumb? I think you _look_ perfect."

The remark made her stomach flip-flop and her heart rate spike, but she hid any visible nervousness by taking a swallow of her coffee.

He asked about her classes, and eventually, the two settled into a comfortable exchange, a blend of playful banter and serious dialogue, each actively engaged and genuinely curious about the other. Before long, the passage of time escaping them, the sun was sinking below the horizon and dusk was creeping up on them. In the light from the setting sun, Rikuo's brown eyes took on a reddish hue, and it reminded her of the odd double image she'd gotten when they'd first met.

Adding that to Natsumi's remarks the night before and the cat yokai running a business that his family managed had her mind's wheels turning. _Could he… Is it possible…?_

Kagome ran her gaze over his features, searching for any indication…for anything out of the ordinary. Then, she started to extend a tendril of her reiki—

"Hey."

Rikuo's voice jolted her, and she swallowed hard, feeling somewhat guilty.

"Do I have something on my face?" he asked, lips curving up on one side.

"Huh?"

"You were staring. Or"—he leaned forward, expression impish—"did you see something you liked?"

"What? You know, you're hardly the first attractive man I've seen, and I doubt you'll be the last!" The snippy reply slipped out before she had a chance to consider the implications—implications that were _not_ lost on Rikuo.

"Ho? So you find me attractive?" His tone was smug and he was full-on smirking, but what caught Kagome's attention was the barely noticeable swath of pink across his cheeks.

Was he actually _blushing_? Sure, it could have been a trick of the light from the setting sun, but Kagome had a funny feeling that wasn't the case. _Oh-ho! So Mr. Arrogant isn't as unaffected as he might pretend!_ Mentally she rubbed her hands together gleefully.

Kagome arched an eyebrow, and then shrugged as if indifferent. "And if I do?"

The shock that appeared for a split second was priceless. Then he coughed lightly and gave her a genuine smile, one without any smugness remaining.

" _Eto_ … Then I'm a damn lucky man if a beautiful woman like you thinks so."

His blunt statement effectively pulled the rug out from under her metaphorical feet, yet for some reason, she sensed he was being completely honest, which amazed her even further.

She suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious and tried to will away the heat she felt creeping into her face.

Silence stretched between them for a moment, as if neither quite knew what to say next. Trying to fill the break in conversation with something, anything, Kagome said lamely, "Whoa, sunset already?"

He snorted. "There a reason this daily occurrence is a novelty to you?"

She placed her hands on her hips, and she wanted to glare at him, she really did, but instead, she started laughing. "Okay, fine, that _was_ a rather inane comment."

"Far be it from me to critique a lady's commentary…however inane it might be."

Kagome crossed her arms. "Hmph. I see the way of it… You know, you could have just let it go instead of teasing me."

Rikuo gave her a look of mock incredulity. "Oi, oi…where's the fun in that?" Then, more seriously, he said, "All joking aside, would you like to have dinner some time? Perhaps this weekend, or Monday?"

The question caused a little zing of adrenaline and had her discreetly rubbing her palms against her thighs. "Hmm… This weekend I'm pretty busy with work and school stuff—I've got a paper due Monday and then a math test on Tuesday…" She twitched her nose, grimacing.

"Not a fan of math, huh? Well, I'm not half bad at math, so what if I help you study on Monday? Then we could go to dinner after." At Kagome's unconvinced look, he added teasingly, "Test or not, you've still got to eat, don't you?"

 _He makes a valid point_ , that nagging voice in the back of her head supplied helpfully. _And studying_ with _someone is far more pleasant… Especially if that someone looks as good as he does…_

"Oh, all right," Kagome conceded, both to Rikuo and the obnoxious voice. "I'll be in Ukiyoe Town on Monday anyway for work—the sanctuary is closed, but the cats still need clean cages and fresh food and water. Plus the kittens will have to be fed."

Rikuo nodded, grinning. "Perfect! We can study there—it'll be quiet, and the cats won't mind the company, I'm sure. I'll let Momo and Miki know."

They said their good-byes and went their separate ways. As Kagome made the trip home, she thought about Rikuo. There was no denying that she enjoyed his company, and she looked forward to seeing him again, despite her intentions to avoid developing too many close relationships that would only end in inevitable heartache. However, at present, none of that was what preoccupied her. She'd been _this_ close to using her reiki to check if perhaps he wasn't as human as he appeared, but he'd interrupted her. Conveniently.

 _Okay, now, let's not go making this into some crazy-assed conspiracy. It's just as plausible you hesitated for some reason. You want conspiracies, get back on the paranormal investigators website,_ she told herself sternly. That being said, she made a promise to herself. A promise she was determined to keep.

The next time she saw Nura Rikuo, she wouldn't hesitate.

* * *

 _Blushing? What the hell is wrong with you?_ Rikuo could have smacked himself in the head for acting like that, had he not been leaving campus and people likely would have stared. _What are you, some awkward schoolboy with his first crush? Ugh…_

Perhaps it had been her blatant admission that she found him attractive that had him reacting to her like that. He hadn't felt that off-kilter around a woman since junior high, before he and Tsurara had realized they were better suited as friends.

 _Who the hell knows._ He sighed. _Better to let it go. What I_ do _know is she affects me in a way like no one else has before._ He'd even forgotten to examine her youki like he'd planned, he'd been so focused on enjoying her company. All in all, it had been a wholly pleasant afternoon. That plus the prospect of seeing his blue-eyed miko again, perhaps as soon as Saturday, had him grinning to himself, his steps a little more jaunty than usual as he shifted into his yokai form—so that Itaku-sounding mental voice would quit pestering him about training—and made his way back to the clan house.

As Rikuo turned the last corner onto their street, night had completely fallen, and a spark of inspiration struck him with the realization that it was the night of the new moon. _A nice dark night…_

As luck would have it, Tsurara happened to be right by the front gate as he entered. "Yo, Tsurara!"

"Oh! Hi, Rikuo-sama," she said cheerfully. Then her expression grew surprisingly sly for the yuki onna. "So…how was your date?"

"Been spending time with Kejōrō, have you? Or was it perhaps Natsumi?" He barked a laugh and then cut her off as she opened her mouth to answer. "Hey, you busy tonight?"

She looked up at him questioningly. "No…why? Is something wrong, Rikuo-sama?"

Rikuo gave her a smile that bordered on feral. "No moon tonight. Wanna go have some fun, spook some people, scare up a bit of Fear?"

Tsurara's eyes grew wide as saucers, and then she slowly returned his smile with a puckish one of her own. " _Hai_!"

"Oi, Rikuo. The hell's got you grinning like a fool?" The sound of his sworn brother's voice had him glancing to the side to see Zen and Shouei sitting on the engawa near the sakura tree, a bottle of sake between them and cups in their hands.

"Zen! Shouei! In the mood for a little mischief?" Rikuo asked, and his friends returned his grin.

Before long, news of Rikuo's good spirits and his intentions for the moonless night spread like wildfire through the clan. It had been a while since Rikuo had been in the mood for a few innocuous pranks, so quite a few of the Nuragumi yokai elected to accompany them, an impromptu Hyakki Yakō forming for a night of frivolity.

Rikuo felt an odd blend of guilt and contentedness at the occurrence. He'd been angsty, as his grandfather had called it, for far too long, and his Night Parade deserved better. On the other hand, their wicked glee over this silly outing made him both happy as well as proud, taking satisfaction in a clan that wielded so much Fear, yet prioritized not hurting humans.

 _Oh yes, it's going to be a nice dark night indeed._

* * *

 **Author's notes:  
** **1.** The Kirara-esque looking kitten is just a kitten, nothing more. No, seriously.  
 **2.** Regarding Rikuo pulling innocent pranks—my thoughts are that he'd not only allow it but also indulge in it himself from time to time, as long as no humans were actually harmed. He is a yokai, part human or not, and some yokai in his clan believe yokai exist to scare humans. Besides, as long as no one gets hurt, where's the harm, right?  
 **3.** As always, thank you so much to everyone who reads, reviews, follows, etc. Y'all are all SO appreciated! And both welcome and thanks to the new readers as well!


	14. Chapter 13

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who will be celebrating on Thursday. For those of you who aren't, happy Tuesday ;-)

Also, a quick thank you to **Quercy,** since one of your comments helped inspire one of the scenes in this chapter.

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"There should be a rule against your own inner monologue throwing around that much sarcasm."  
 ** _—_** **Jim Butcher _,_** _Ghost Story_

"There is no happiness like that of being loved by your fellow creatures, and feeling that your presence is an addition to their comfort."  
 ** _—_** **Charlotte Brontë** , _Jane Eyre_

* * *

Friday morning, when her first class was unexpectedly canceled due to the professor being sick, Kagome found herself with some time to kill. Finding a quiet corner of the library—perhaps Natsumi was right about her living there—she allowed herself a momentary reprieve from schoolwork and hopped onto the Kiyojūji paranormal investigation website.

It was the busiest she'd seen it. Tons of supposed sightings, hauntings, and other paranormal encounter reports had poured in, starting late Thursday night she noted. _Holy hell!_ It was too many to assume they were all fake, plus she knew better than most that yokai and other supernatural creatures actually did exist. _Just what on earth is going on?_

The chat was so packed it was glitchy, so she began browsing the new forum posts instead.

 **Footsteps following me  
** **Night parade of a hundred demons  
** **Potential Hitotsume kozō sighting  
** **Vampire rumors?  
** **Pyschic premunition  
** **House smelled like nattō  
** **Felt icy wind inside – no windows open!  
** **Umbrella sprouted a leg?  
** **Seeing tings—am I gonig crazy?!  
** **Haunting – ghost with no head  
** **Yokai – help!  
** **Hearing voices but home alone  
** **Something drank all my sake! WTF**

Kagome pressed her hand to her mouth, stifling laughter. So far, those she'd read that seemed legitimate were all fairly innocuous. She speculated one culprit was a natto kozō and the umbrella a karakasa kozō, and perhaps the footsteps could be attributed to a Betobeto-san, a spooky yet harmless apparition according to the book she consulted. Some of the others she was a little unsure of or felt like more than one mischievous demon could have possibly been behind the occurrence. A couple posts about the night parade described a glimpse of the legendary hyakki yakō in the pitch-black sky, led by the yokai supreme commander atop some kind of snake, the ghastly creatures gathered illuminated by blue-white _onibi_. **(1)**

 _Of all the nights to not have any nightmares and sleep soundly!_ She'd be lying if she said she wasn't jealous of all these yokai sightings. Sure, she could probably go locate any number of them in Ukiyoe Town, but it wasn't like she would stumble upon a hyakki yakō so easily—this was _the_ night parade they were talking about!

Which, of course, reminded her of Ryūji's comment about the Lord of Pandemonium, the leader of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, and the paranormal site fangirl's description of the supreme commander…which led back to her bizarre first encounter with Rikuo. Was there a connection there? _Surely not…but…_

Kagome blew out a breath loudly. _All right, girl, let's nip that in the bud before you even start going down that rabbit's hole. Enough procrastinating. That independent study isn't going to write itself._

She really wanted to use the Keikain materials somehow, since she knew they were not run-of-the-mill sources and she'd gone to some effort to obtain them. The question was _how_ …especially considering every other paragraph it seemed like the bastards were qualifying the claims being made or commenting about how whatever they'd just stated was "unsubstantiated." Kagome snorted. Seriously, where did a bunch of onmyoji for _kami_ 's sake get off being skeptical when _they_ believed in the supernatural and used freaky-ass shikigami like Ryūji?

 _Must be nice to cherry-pick what you believe in… Wait a sec!_

An idea forming, Kagome snatched a book out of her backpack and flipped to the small story about the shikon no tama. Then, fingers flying over the keys, she logged into the Keikain archives and pulled up their database entry on the shikon no tama. She grinned. It could work.

 _It all depends on if Saito-sensei approves it or not…but I could analyze the rhetoric of those who believe—or partially believe in the case of these assholes—in a topic versus those who don't. Discuss word choice, apparent bias, audience… I can use what I've found on the shikon no tama as my primary topic, perhaps interview_ jii-chan _as a source, and then I can compare it with some secondary stories, like some of the vampire stuff I've been looking at for my class, or maybe exorcists… Hmm…_

Kagome typed up a quick email for her advisor, requesting a meeting the following week. Then she hit the library catalog to find some books she'd need. _Time to remind my professor_ why _I always got excellent grades in his class…_

* * *

Going to bed after sunrise and then waking four and a half hours later was not at the top of Rikuo's "favorite things" list, especially since he'd never really been a morning person. However, as much as he enjoyed needling the onmyoji, he decided it probably wasn't wise to do so today, since they'd likely be spending an extended amount of time together given the sheer number of case files Ryūji was liable to have. He hoped to keep the irascible onmyoji in a half-decent mood as long as possible. So rather than crawling out of bed and showing up whenever he damn well pleased, Rikuo got up a little before noon Friday, giving him ample time to awaken fully and grab something to eat before meeting Ryūji at one o'clock.

Unfortunately, the universe had other plans, regarding both Ryūji's good mood as well as punctuality, for Rikuo received a text around 12:30 p.m. from Ryūji saying that the materials were not quite ready.

 **Ryūji:** They promise everything will be ready by 1:30. I'm not optimistic. Text you when I have them in hand.

 _At your beck and call today, am I?_ Rikuo fought the urge to reply with something sarcastic and simply said "okay." Then, since he had time to kill, but couldn't go back to sleep as he didn't know how _much_ time, he opted to find Shouei and Zen and catch up with his sworn brothers.

As it turned out, Ryūji didn't text him back until two thirty, and they met up at the hotel at three.

"That stack's yours." Ryūji motioned toward what would've been better termed a _mountain_ than a stack. _Oh fuck me, I'm going to be trapped here for hours._ _Days, even._

Rikuo had anticipated a hefty workload for the two of them, but this far exceeded his expectations. _Not to mention…_ He voiced his question out loud. "How the hell are there so many? The last article I read indicated the 'rash of missing persons cases' totaled ten."

"Well, for starters, if you're referring to the same article I read, that was ten days ago. Also, my best guess is that one, that count of ten only included November, and two, the police may be trying to minimize the situation in order to prevent idiots from panicking." Ryūji shrugged. "Plus, did you forget this is three months' worth? Not just two weeks?"

Well, that was one question answered. However, there was _another_ matter he wanted to address as well. "Oi, Ryūji, before we get started…" Rikuo began, hoping he could finagle some real answers out of the man, rather than the convoluted half-truths or evasions he usually received.

Ryūji exhaled loudly, brows pinched. "What?"

"In the spirit of collaboration since we're going to be…errr… _enjoying_ one another's company till this case is resolved, shoot straight with me. You knew Kagome had youki, didn't you?"

A slow smirk spread across Ryūji's face. "Ho? Figured it out, did ya? Or did someone have to clue you in?"

Rikuo ignored the frustratingly accurate dig and continued. "Does _she_ know she has it? For that matter, does she even know she's got miko powers?"

For a split second, Ryūji looked startled. Then he erupted in mocking laugher. "'Does she know?' Oh, she definitely knows she's a miko. Not half bad either, though she could use some training… Hmm…" His expression went pensive for a moment before going back to its typical smirk. "As far as the youki, yeah, she's aware of it. Claims it's a curse… I'm not entirely convinced, but _someone_ interrupted our meeting at the coffee shop before I could get any further details out of her."

"Considering you looked like you were contemplating jabbing bamboo skewers under her fingernails, you won't get an apology out of me. Okay, so she's aware of her youki, and I'm guessing if she calls it a curse, she doesn't use it."

"Not from what I saw, but that was an isolated instance." Ryūji shrugged and then glanced at his watch. "All right, lover boy, you done yet?"

"No," Rikuo said flatly. "Yokai… I saw her encounter Oitekebori, so obviously she knows about them, but how much do you think she knows about them?"

"How much?" Ryūji scoffed. "Rikuo, the woman isn't just knowledgeable…she's a full-fledged, card-carrying yokai fangirl. If the research materials she requested and the poking around she tried to do in the archives are anything to go by, then there are some onmyoji—not Keikain, of course—who probably don't know as much as she does."

Rikuo felt his jaw drop. "Seriously?" he said incredulously. "I knew she was researching folklore and mythology, but…damn. Guess it's good that I'm pretty good at masking my Fear then, though it's not quite as much of an issue when I'm like this." He motioned to his human appearance.

" _Tch_. I suspect it's less that and more that the foolish miko hasn't tried… Perhaps she's distracted and too busy flirting to consider that the Lord of Pandemonium himself is right in front of her face," Ryūji said, rolling his eyes. Then he drummed his fingers on the small hotel room table. "Still. There's something off about her, beyond just that youki-curse-whatever. If only Yura…" He trailed off.

"If only Yura what?" Rikuo asked.

"Never mind," Ryūji replied quickly. Too quickly in Rikuo's opinion, but before he had a chance to press him, Ryūji said, "Look, I've got better things to do than gossip about your little miko girlfriend. Those badge-bearing banes of my existence didn't keep the cases in chronological order, but I suppose at this point that's not a huge priority."

Rikuo nodded. "I'd rather utilize the time we would spend reordering them actually reviewing them."

"For once I agree with you. Surprisingly, the idiots did manage to put both stacks in the same order."

"Yet evidently paying attention to the dates was too difficult?" Rikuo said, tone scathing. "I'm beginning to think your complaints of their stupidity aren't merely standard Ryūji hyperbole."

Ryūji snorted. "You have _no_ idea."

Surveying the rather daunting piles before them, Rikuo grimaced. "So…how're we doing this?"

"Just look for anything seemingly related to those three bodies discovered earlier this month. Okay, see those on top"—Ryūji pointed to some files set askew atop the others—"those are cases of unidentified remains and a handful of unresolved homicides, including the three we're already aware of."

Rikuo picked up the small stack Ryūji referred to and then gestured with it. "There's not very many compared to the missing persons reports—knock these out first?"

Ryūji shrugged his agreement, and they each set to work reviewing the files.

After simply reading the first case—unrecognizable putrefying remains, adult male, discovered at rear of a business by company employees—it became readily apparent that these would not be as mild, albeit depressing, as the missing persons reports were likely to be.

The second case was partial skeletal remains, female, found outside a vacant house in Kohinata. According to the medical examiner findings, the bones showed possible perimortem trauma, though postmortem fracturing and splintering, due to extensive carnivore damage, made it difficult to determine.

"Oi, Ryūji." When the onmyoji glanced up, Rikuo said, "The female found in Kohinata… It's one hell of a stretch, but the bone damage…"

Ryūji nodded slowly. "No harm adding it to a 'maybe' pile." He paused for a moment, eyes scanning over the page in front of him. "Hey, look at the next one, the one in the abandoned dormitory in Shibuya. 'Young male, body found in advanced stages of decomposition, visceral organs absent'."

Rikuo grimaced. "Again, it's an assumption, but…" He shrugged and tossed it aside to form his "maybe" stack.

And so they continued, through partial skeletons, unrecognizable remains, decomposing corpses, and, in one case, just a skull. The reports contained locations and GPS coordinates for each, though going to the sites would likely prove of no use at this point.

Once Rikuo set down the last unknown persons case, he began the homicides, giving the three Ryūji had previously given him copies of only a quick once-over before placing them in their own spot and reviewing the new ones.

 _Initially thought to be a suicide, then ruled homicide—cause of death was asphyxia due to manual strangulation._ He cleared his throat, and Ryūji lifted his gaze to meet Rikuo's.

"The faked suicide—Sasagawa Sakura. The forged suicide note cited bullying as the reason, but none of the statements seem to support that, and of course, neither does the ME's cause of death. According to statements from her friends, she'd been very into vampires, claiming she wanted to fall in love with one or find one who would 'turn' her so she could become one herself. Then a few weeks prior to her death, accounts state she was 'back to normal,' saying the vampire stuff was a silly, immature phase."

Ryūji curled his lip in disgust. "That vampire bullshit again… I suppose—and I'm going way the fuck out on a limb—it's possible that she could have gotten mixed up with whoever is committing these crimes and was killed because of whatever knowledge she had."

He was right—the speculation was going out on a limb, but at this point, they'd do better to start broad and narrow down than omit something that could be beneficial. There was still the vampire angle to explain, but at present, that wasn't a huge priority. Rikuo said as much and put Sasagawa's case with the other maybes.

Only one other unresolved death seemed even remotely applicable—an expatriate in his late twenties named Colin Lethbridge, working in Tokyo, who was found nearly two and a half weeks following his death after a neighbor repeatedly complained about a putrid odor to the landlord. Lethbridge had apparently been of the superstitious variety, if the various talismans, wards, and paraphernalia to protect against evil in his apartment were anything to go by. The cause of death was exsanguination, due to lacerations on his neck that severed both the internal jugular vein and external carotid artery, and he had gashes on his hands and forearms, defensive wounds per the medical examiner. He also had been disemboweled at the time of death, and several internal organs were missing—including his liver. Despite the file being with the homicides, the official manner of death remained undetermined since it was unclear whether the man's injuries were the result of homicide or animal attack. Even if you ignored the missing liver, Rikuo personally thought it was a bit unlikely an animal capable of those injuries could come and go in an apartment complex without leaving any trace of evidence.

The entire report, especially the ME's findings, was rather gruesome, and combined with the other macabre files they'd already gone through, memories of the ordeal with Kyōsai and his kusozu—the stench, the agonizing pain of both his body and his Fear rotting from the inside out—flooded over Rikuo. He shuddered and shoved them back into their neat and tidy mental compartment as best possible, but he had little doubt that nightmares were in store for him in the not-so-distant future. _Oh joy._

Reminding himself that dwelling on it served no purpose, Rikuo returned to work.

By eight o'clock that night, they were only a few cases into the missing persons stack, and already Rikuo was wishing for Ryūji's death.

By the wee hours of Saturday morning, he was envisioning murder-suicide.

"How the fuck are we going to find anything useful in all this? Whose stupid idea was this?"

"That's at least the seventh time you've asked that," Rikuo replied dryly. "And I believe it was yours, onmyoji."

Ryūji's scowl deepened. "Fuck you, yokai."

Rikuo grinned. "Not my type, but thanks. And I was merely answering your question." The look Ryūji shot him made his grin widen. "Hey, much as I am loath to admit it, you have the right idea. It just sucks that we've got over two hundred cases to scrutinize."

Ryūji massaged the bridge of his nose, deep lines marring his forehead as he scowled. "More working, less talking."

Rikuo bit back a laugh and shook his head. _This guy… Prickly even when you try to meet him halfway._

* * *

Neither of them were fools—they'd known the work would be tedious and that there might be precious little of use among the myriad cases. Rikuo rolled his tense shoulders and rubbed his burning eyes as the words on the pages began to blur.

The content of the files was an added drain—unlike the homicides and unidentified bodies, they weren't gory, and both he and Ryūji had seen their fair share of horrific things that far surpassed mere missing persons reports. Nevertheless, portions of what they read began to weigh heavily on them, especially the missing children, despite them anticipating such cases. They weren't more than halfway through yet, and at least a fifth of those missing were children, including five infants already, plus the decomposed remains of another that had been found two months prior.

When they reached the case file of Nakayama Hana, that weight combined with the grisly files they'd started with, long hours, and lack of sleep, and it was too much.

Hana was the infant daughter of a Shinto priest. _God_ damnit. _Another baby?_

Blood feeling unbearably hot, Rikuo flung the file to the floor with a curse.

Disgust, anger, and exhaustion warred on Ryūji's face before exhaustion won out. "Go home, yokai."

The tenuous leash Rikuo'd had on his temper snapped, and he snarled at the onmyoji. "Don't you _dare_ lump the Nura clan in with these assholes—and there's no guarantee yokai are even responsible. We're making a hell of a lot of assumptions."

For once, Ryūji didn't react with some snarky comeback, simply wearily blew out a sigh. "I…didn't mean it like that. Just…habit." He scrubbed a hand down his face. "We're both fucking dead-tired. Go home, get some sleep—we'll start fresh later tonight."

Rikuo's anger faded, and he nodded, reaching for his massive stack of files, but Ryūji waved his hand dismissively.

"Leave 'em. You'll be back later. No need to haul them back and forth."

"Appreciate it," he said, and then added, "Text you when I wake up."

He left the hotel, squinting against the midmorning sun, and headed toward Ukiyoe Town. However, Rikuo had no intentions of going straight home.

No, he needed something to remind him of the beautiful things in this world after spending so many, many hours buried in its ugliness.

* * *

The way her eyes widened and she jumped up out of her chair when he stepped through the door to the cat sanctuary told him just how rough he must look.

"Rikuo? Are you okay?" Kagome asked, concern lacing her tone.

He was too tired to come up with a reasonable excuse, so he just shrugged and said instead, "You mentioned kittens? Sorry I forgot the dango…"

His redirection didn't seem to work as well as he'd hoped, for her eyebrows scrunched together as her sapphire-colored eyes searched his face.

Rikuo forced his lips into a facsimile of his usual smile. "You're doing that staring thing again."

His quip had the desired effect—Kagome gave him a tiny smile in return and shook her head. "C'mon."

She opened the door behind the counter and waved at him to precede her. Then, he followed her into another room where shrill mewls met his ears. She pulled the three squalling kittens out of their cage and pointed for him to sit. When he did, she plunked all three down into his lap.

"I just fed them, so they're not hungry; they're just fussing. Here, hang on to them, and I'll go warm up some towels."

It only took a moment before she returned, and she placed a warm towel in each of their laps before she snagged the little Siamese from him.

The two remaining kittens squirmed and stomped around in his lap as he gently stroked them before finally curling up together, kneading his legs and purring. There was something so oddly comforting about a cat's purr.

A quiet voice interrupted his musings. "Wanna talk about it?"

Rikuo gave a humorless laugh. "I probably _should_ , but I can't." He felt certain she wasn't a threat to the Nura clan, and likely never had been, but where did that leave things now? _A topic better left explored when I'm not so fucking exhausted…_ He raised his gaze to meet hers. "But…thank you."

Kagome nodded, her worried expression lessening some. "I understand. Really." And for some reason, somehow, he knew that she actually did understand, truly did know how he felt.

He'd made the right decision coming here.

* * *

Before he knew it, someone was giving his shoulder a gentle shake, and his hand shot out, gripping the wrist tightly.

"Rikuo?" _Kagome_. And evidently he'd startled her, if the raised pitch and teeny sizzle of reiki were anything to go by.

He released her wrist and blinked, groggy and faintly disoriented.

"You fell asleep," Kagome said cautiously. When he nodded slowly in understanding, her apprehension fell away and her lips curved upward. "I called Natsumi, and she said Kuro would come pick you up."

He stood and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. " _Gomen_ , Kagome. I've been up since…" He paused. "Yesterday morning?"

"What?!" She fisted her hands on her hips. "Okay, you, get your ass out of here and into bed. Sheesh. What were you thinking?"

 _That I wanted to see you,_ he thought. Outwardly, he said nothing, just spread his hands in a "no clue" gesture before attempting to stifle a yawn. He failed.

Kagome rolled her eyes and pointed toward the door. "Move it, mister."

He laughed. "I'm having a hard time remembering who's the boss of whom here."

The look she gave him was fierce, eyes flashing. "Save it for when you're not passing out from sheer exhaustion with a lap full of kittens, _Rikuo-sama,_ " she said, mimicking the tone she'd heard his subordinates use around him.

" _Hai_ , _hai_ , blue eyes," he said tiredly. When her eyebrows raised at the spontaneous nickname, he groaned internally. _Fuck, what are you saying, moron? You're dead on your feet—now is not the time to be dropping sweet little pet names_. _And just what is she to you that you're giving her a pet name?_ After chastising himself mentally, he added, "I'll let this bit of insubordination slide since you're new and all."

Kagome's expression conveyed just how unimpressed she was by his "letting it slide," and she jerked a thumb toward the entrance of the building.

At the same time they reentered the reception area, Kurotabō was walking in the front door. His eyes alighted on Rikuo, and the monk shook his head in exasperation. Then he addressed Kagome.

"I hope Rikuo-sama has not inconvenienced you overly much, Higurashi-san."

She waved a hand in front of her face, smiling. "Not at all. Besides, too little sleep and a warm pile of purring kittens'll do that to just about anyone."

Kuro nodded slightly. "Perhaps." Shifting his gaze, he looked at Rikuo expectantly.

Rikuo gave him a sleepy grin in response. "Well, guess we ought to let Kagome get back to work, huh, Kuro?" Then he turned to Kagome. "Hey…thanks."

She nodded. "See you Monday, late afternoon?"

"Wouldn't miss it." He gave her a quick wave as they left the sanctuary.

On their way, in between yawns, he filled Kurotabō in on what he and Ryūji had discovered, which was not a whole lot, but added that hopefully he'd have more after they continued work on the cases tonight. Kurotabō was kind enough to refrain from asking how he'd wound up at the cat sanctuary after meeting with Ryūji.

Back at the Nuragumi main house, Rikuo made a beeline for his bedroom, only to be halted on the way by his grandfather.

"Late night, huh?" Nurarihyon nudged him with an elbow, smirking. "You spend it with that miko?"

"Uh, not last night—I was with Ryūji."

His grandfather gave him a bland look. "Hmm…can't say I saw that coming, but whatever makes you happy. Though I would've expected you to have better taste… Zen perhaps, or Itaku…"

 _What the hell is he…_ It took a moment for Rikuo's sleep-deprived brain to catch up. "No…not like that. Seriously, old man? You know I was working on that case with Ryūji."

"And this morning?"

There was no telling what his grandfather's end game was, and at present, he was far too tired, and lacking in patience, to indulge his whims. "Yes…this morning I was with Kagome. Again, no, not like that," he said quickly, hoping to end that line of questioning. Then, before his grandfather could continue the conversation further, he added, "Now, if it's all the same to you, I'm going to get some rest."

Rikuo stalked off before the old man could respond, the siren song of sleep too enticing to delay any longer.

* * *

Kagome had managed to maintain her composure while Rikuo was there, but once he'd left with Kuro, her mind reeled.

When Rikuo had dozed off for a moment, Kagome jumped on the opportunity and extended her powers, concentrating on the energy of the man before her.

And felt nothing.

 _What the hell?_

To her mind's eye, from purely an energy signature standpoint, it was as if Rikuo wasn't even in the room. _Wait…_

She focused harder, ignoring the psychic version of eye strain. Nothing wasn't _quite_ accurate. There was the faintest shimmer of an unidentifiable energy, like the slight distortion from heat seen above a candle flame. She speculated that were she not able to see him, literally, with her own two eyes, that glimmering trace would go unnoticed. _Is he somehow masking his presence? Even in his sleep?_

She'd caught a whiff of youki, but it was so fleeting and nondescript, she attributed it to the ambient youki of Ukiyoe Town, or a remnant from one of the neko girls she worked with.

She'd stopped after that and called Natsumi, since Kagome was surprisingly more worried about Rikuo's apparent exhaustion than her discovery. Or non-discovery as it were.

Now, in the quiet of the sanctuary, the morning thankfully slow thus far and Momo and Miki gone to run some errands, she puzzled over just what it meant.

 _What is he? Yokai? Hanyō? Onmyoji? Human with reiki?_ She sighed loudly, frustrated.

The thought of onmyoji brought Ryūji to mind. They _did_ know one another… Would Ryūji tell her if she asked?

Probably. For a price. _Asshole onmyoji._ If for no other reason than her association with them was less than stellar, she found herself sort of hoping Rikuo wasn't one.

No…that wasn't entirely true. If Kagome were being honest with herself, an unpleasant task she had gotten into the bad habit of avoiding, her aversion to onmyoji was not the _only_ reason she didn't want Rikuo to be one. Because she equally hoped he wasn't a human with reiki, and she had no prejudices against them.

Deep down, the real reason she yearned for Rikuo to be something other than human stemmed from the source of so many of her issues. The shikon no tama and its damnable curse. If she decided to pursue a romantic relationship and if he were a hanyō or yokai, she might not outlive him and have to watch him die. Might not have to lose someone…and be alone, yet again.

 _That's a lot of ifs, Kagome._ Sure, she knew he found her physically attractive, as she did him, but did either of them feel anything beyond that? For all she knew, he could have coffee or go out with lots of women. She gave herself a light smack on the forehead. There was absolutely no point continuing _that_ particular train of thought.

Restless, Kagome got up and paced the reception area, brainstorming out loud to herself. "Okay, so, I didn't sense anything. Or much of anything at any rate. Not your average run-of-the-mill human ki, or reiki, or youki…which indicates he's adept at hiding himself, but why? And what is he?"

He appeared human, but she knew better than to take things at face value. And then there was that weird double image she had seen when she first met him… How did that factor in, if at all?

"Ughhhh! Instead of answers, all I have now are more questions."

Hanyō could explain the human appearance, though so would kitsune. _Or any number of other things as you well know._ She hummed a little as she mused. "Leaving the onmyoji aside for now, if he's a yokai, or some similar supernatural entity, how the fuck do I go about asking him without giving myself away? What if he's not friendly?"

 _Now you're just being stupid. Has he given you any indication that he's an enemy?_

True, but he wouldn't be the first nonhuman creature to convincingly con an unsuspecting individual.

The image of Rikuo snoozing with a lap full of kittens rose in her mind. _On second thought, if he were unfriendly, there's no way he'd have let himself fall asleep and be vulnerable around me. And the way he snagged my wrist when I woke him…a hostile type likely would've gone for my throat. Especially since I accidentally shocked him with my reiki…which he didn't seem to notice. Again._

Non-hostile it was then, she decided. Which…brought her right back around to her initial question. What kind? However, assuming she was correct, did it really matter?

She did another lap around the room as she contemplated the question.

No, it didn't matter. Refusing to revisit her earlier line of thinking, she looked at it another way—if anything, the prospect of Rikuo potentially being a yokai, or a hanyō, meant she could finally tell _someone_ about herself and her history. Well… Probably. Time travel was a farfetched concept even in paranormal circles. And if he were an onmyoji… Kagome scrunched up her nose. Her impressions from the Keikain indicated they weren't especially fond of yokai and might not understand her affection for them. Though, on the other hand, a human with reiki or an onmyoji would likely be more receptive to her being a miko, whereas a yokai might consider her a threat.

 _Hmm…_ Unless she was completely off base, Rikuo didn't seem to think she was dangerous. Of course, it was possible an overly optimistic yokai might not feel threatened. Her lips curved in a self-satisfied smirk. _Neither did some yokai in the Sengoku era, and look where it got them…_

She sat back down at the reception desk and rested her chin in her hand. Her thoughts ran in circles, twists, and turns, leading nowhere and confounding her further.

 _This is foolish_ , she told herself, slamming on the brakes of her thoughts' joyride. _You have no means by which to answer your questions now, and your arguments for him being a hanyō or yokai are edging closer and closer to wishful thinking and clouding rational judgment. You_ want _him to not be human, but we don't always get what we want._

Kagome sat up straight and gave her cheeks a light slap with her palms. At the same time, the sounds of Momo and Miki entering in the back of the building met her ears, a welcome reminder for her to get her head on straight and refocus on work.

As she headed to give them a hand putting away the supplies they'd gone to purchase, Kagome came to a decision. This weekend and through Tuesday, she needed to concentrate on her schoolwork. She had an independent study that was in desperate need of work, a paper to write, and a math test to study for. Investigating what Rikuo was or asking him pointblank would only serve to derail that much-needed concentration.

Instead, she'd dangle that potential knowledge as a carrot, motivation to get what she needed to do done. Though in theory she should make herself wait until the semester was over, she decided Tuesday night after her math test was more realistic. Until then, she'd put the matter under mental lock and key, and when she saw him on Monday, in addition to studying, she would let herself enjoy his company, but nothing more.

 _Now cram any burning questions or unbridled curiosity into a mental compartment and mark it "Do Not Open Until Nov. 17."_

When she got to the back of the building, Miki's snarky "Took ya long enough" and Momo's gentle admonishment of her sister served to brighten Kagome's mood, and though she knew it was a calculated risk, she thinned her shields just a smidge as she worked, allowing her to bask in the neko girls' youki, bringing a little peace to her troubled spirit.

* * *

 **Footnote:  
** 1\. _onibi_ – Per the site yokai dot com (lord this site is pissy about urls), this is a yokai phenomenon whose "name means 'demon fire,' and it certainly earns that moniker. It looks like a small ball of flame, usually blue or blue-white."

 **Author's notes:  
** 1\. So, now Rikuo is a bit more aware of Kagome and her powers, as well as her knowledge about yokai—good job Ryūji for spilling the beans—and Kagome has some suspicions about Rikuo. The question is…will she be able to wait to ask/confront him like she plans?  
2\. I hope you all enjoyed chapter 13! As always, I am so grateful to all of my readers. Your support, reviews, questions… they all mean so much to me!


	15. Chapter 14

**Author's note:** I hope everyone who celebrated had a happy holidays and a happy new year. Here's to 2018, new beginnings, resolutions, if that's your thing, and for those who are creative, plenty of inspiration.

* * *

 **Quote:**

"There are bad things in the world. There's no getting away from that. But that doesn't mean nothing can be done about them. You can't abandon life just because it's scary, and just because sometimes you get hurt."  
 **―Jim Butcher** , _Turn Coat_

* * *

The artist stared at him blankly. "What are you talking about? She's just like the other ayakashi you've been fighting," Kyōsai said, his tone as lacking in emotion as his face. **(1)**

 _Don't ask, don't ask…_ Rikuo asked anyway. "What…?"

"In total ignorance, you cut down all those women…that I turned into yokai." Kyōsai's apathetic expression shifted to a smirk. " _You're_ the sick one," he said, laughing.

Bile rose in Rikuo's throat, and he recoiled from both Kyōsai and the accusation. "Y-you…" Whatever reply he'd intended to make died on his lips as he was knocked to the ground, assaulted from behind by the women-turned-yokai horde.

 _Torii…Natsumi…must save her…_ Squashing the guilt and focusing instead on his anger at Kyōsai and desperation to save his friend, Rikuo resorted to a technique he hadn't quite perfected during his training with Itaku. Using blades that were crumbling, barely able to sustain their form as he channeled his Fear into them, he struck at the monster that Natsumi had become, despite his other friends' screams.

The yokai disintegrated, bits of its crumbling form falling around them like rain. Kyōsai's smirk widened. "Friends killing friends. That truly is a picture of hell. Splendid."

Rikuo glared at him. "You sure about that?"

From within the remains of the yokai, Natsumi fell, with Rikuo catching her, relieved that he'd saved her. Except…

 _She's bleeding?_ A huge gash splayed open her chest and neck, her head lolling back unnaturally, her eyes glassy and unfocused. _No… No! I only cut through the Fear to slice the yokai…_ Panic zinged through his body like lightning. _Did I miscalculate?_

He laid her on the pavement and backed away, shaking his head in disbelief. Maki's shrieking, Itaku's bellowing about his unperfected technique, Tsurara repeatedly calling his name…all of it sounded as though it were miles away. Rikuo's focus was narrowed on Kyōsai; after all, this was ultimately _his_ fault.

He launched himself at the artist, thrusting both his blades into Kyōsai's abdomen, only for Kyōsai's form to blur and disappear. Rikuo's heart rate kicked up, and a disquieting voice in the back of his mind prodded him.

 _Wake up, moron. You know this isn't real…and you know what comes next. Wake. Up._

Despite its nagging and his awareness of the circumstances, the nightmare persisted. Again he found himself paralyzed, unable to move his suddenly heavy body, bound by Kyōsai's kusozu. **(2)** Then came the unbearable, gag-inducing stench as he began to decay—the bloating, rupturing, oozing of both his flesh and his Fear as he was forced to progress through the stages of a decomposing corpse.

As intense agony engulfed him, Rikuo's ability to fight for consciousness disintegrated, the relived torment momentarily too overwhelming. Once more, the pain from Kyōsai's disturbing technique brought him to his knees, then completely prone, as Rikuo felt himself rotting from the inside, his Fear eroding, melting off him like a noxious, reeking miasma. **(1)**

Would he be able to save Tsurara this time? Or would he fail, like he had failed Natsumi? _No!_ He slammed his hand against the ground—or tried, unsuccessfully, flesh sliding off the bones of his fingers.

 _Come on, damnit! You're stronger than this…it's just a fucking nightmare!_

Finally, Rikuo broke free of his dream paralysis and jerked out of sleep, finding himself sitting upright, back rigid. He was shaking, his hair and clothes plastered to his skin from sweat, his heart beating so hard it thundered in his ears.

"Fuck." The word tumbled out on a harsh exhale, as he breathed in and out deliberately, hoping to quell the aftereffects of his dream.

 _Dream? More like a fucking flashback._ He rubbed clammy hands over his arms, peeking down involuntarily to reassure himself that there were no fissures in his skin, no insects or beast devouring him.

Rikuo sighed audibly. He'd anticipated the nightmares after his and Ryūji's work with the cases, but overconfidence in the healing abilities of time or perhaps just plain arrogance had convinced him not to take any of the sleep aid Zen had made for him. _Idiot._ He could take some now but… _What time is it?_

He'd gone to bed around noon, and it was now a quarter after four. No doubt Ryūji would be expecting to hear from him before too long, and truth be told, he wasn't quite sure he _wanted_ to try to go back to sleep right now. Resuming a previously interrupted nightmare wasn't an uncommon occurrence.

 _Right, so getting up and a shower it is. Four hours of sleep is fiiiine…_

* * *

An hour and a half later, food in hand, he arrived back at Ryūji's hotel. When the onmyoji opened the door, his gray eyes widened fractionally.

"Wow, you look like shit."

Rikuo snorted. "Thanks. Didn't get much sleep."

"Clearly." Ryūji stepped out of the doorway and waved Rikuo inside. "Nightmares?" he asked, the customary mockery absent from his tone.

Rikuo simply nodded. Ryūji's lack of ridicule wasn't unexpected—while he hadn't had the unique pleasure of being a corpse while simultaneously being alive, Ryūji had his own demons to cope with. The unspoken understanding was one of the reasons why, their mutual denial of its existence notwithstanding, their friendship worked.

"What's that?" Ryūji gestured to the bag Rikuo held.

"Food. Mom insisted, something about better productivity and critical thinking if we're not hungry," he said, smiling as he thought about his mom's particular brand of stubbornness.

Ryūji made some tea, and the two ate in relative silence for a few minutes. Then, pondering the task before them, Rikuo spoke. "I've been thinking…"

A muffled snicker came from the onmyoji as he swallowed. "Oh? How's that going for ya?"

"Piss off, Ryūji. Seriously, what if we're making this harder on ourselves? We can go through all the files and keep tossing things into the maybe pile, but how are we picking what to consider and what not to?"

Ryūji frowned. "Well, using the three most recent bodies found as a starting point—"

"Right," Rikuo interrupted, "but what parts of those cases? I think first we need to take a closer look at them, possibly the unidentified remains and unresolved homicides we've already reviewed, and use them to come up with something like a makeshift profile. What stands out as conspicuous, what things they have in common, so on and so forth. I also think maybe, for the time being, we should treat the crimes as having been committed by one or more yokai."

Ryūji nodded slowly. "While neither of us is qualified as a criminal profiler, we _are_ qualified experts on yokai…and though starting with such a bias could potentially prove problematic, given the missing livers… It's a logical angle to work from."

"And better than just taking stabs in the dark like we're doing now."

Ryūji's lip curled. "I hesitate to say we were merely taking a stab at it. Or at least _I_ wasn't…"

Rikuo waved his hand dismissively. "Mmhmm. So, work independently, then compare notes?"

A jerk of his head was all the acknowledgement Rikuo received, and the two began the monotonous work of rereading and analyzing the cases of interest.

Later, the beginnings of a headache throbbing behind his eyes, Rikuo tossed the last re-skimmed case aside, looked up from his notes, and stretched. "Compare?" he asked.

"Sure…not that I've got anything particularly impressive…" Ryūji said with a sigh, crossing his arms.

"Oi, I never promised impressive. Anyway…" He drew the word out slowly, tamping down on his annoyance. "Though not uniformly across the board, seems to me there's a pattern of bite or claw marks, sort of mimicking an animal attack, missing organs, occasionally unknown bruises on the bodies, and exsanguination as a cause of death."

"Sounds about right. And I don't know if you could call it a 'pattern,' but both the Shibuya unknown male corpse and the Sasagawa case died from asphyxia due to manual strangulation. And did you notice all the victims are under forty?" Ryūji twisted his lips in thought.

"Yeah, but why? Aside from infants, I wasn't aware that the age of the, uh, 'donor' mattered for ikigimo," Rikuo said. "But, with that in mind, at least three of the four with missing organs had them removed while just prior to or at the time of death, which works for our ikigimo theory. As do the missing infants, even though we didn't include them in this analysis."

Ryūji rubbed his temples, ever-present scowl deepening. " _Kami_ , yokai are sick fuckers."

Irritation flared. " _Some_ yokai, asshole. _Some_. Not all."

The onmyoji made a noncommittal noise and reached for the stack of missing persons reports they hadn't gone through yet. "Can't say I'm certain whether or not your little profiling effort helped, but I suppose there's a possibility it might yet prove useful in finding some kind of trend."

Rikuo clenched his jaw, biting back a rude remark. _Thanks for the vote of confidence, you pompous asshat._

They'd been working for nearly an hour when Rikuo took a short break to make some more tea, needing both the caffeine as well as the respite for his aching neck. He made some for himself as well as Ryūji, who ignored his gesture, grabbing another file and starting on it. He couldn't have gotten much further than the person's general description when his gray eyes widened, and Rikuo could almost see the proverbial lightbulb switch on.

" _Chotto matte_. This girl's a self-proclaimed medium and psychic. Wasn't one of the other missing people a fortune teller?"

As understanding dawned on him, Rikuo sat back down and riffled through the pile he had already skimmed to find the one Ryūji referred to. "Yeah—in Ginzo. Are you thinking—"

"Not sure. But let's see if there's a pattern," Ryūji said, all traces of his former foul mood gone.

Rikuo placed the fortune teller guy's case aside and, before re-skimming the others in the so-called "done" pile, snagged his notes from—as Ryūji had termed it—their little profiling effort.

"Hey, you might be on to something. That Sasagawa chick was supposedly obsessed with vampires for a while, the Lethbridge guy had all kinds of superstitious stuff in his apartment, and that infant, Nakayama Hana…her dad's a Shinto priest."

Ryūji's eyes narrowed. "Oh?" He picked up his profile notes and ran his gaze down it, frowning. "Kamo… Kamo… Of course!" he said, as though the answer were self-evident.

"Care to share with the class, Keikain-kun?" Rikuo asked, unable to suppress his annoyance.

Ryūji smirked. "Kamo no Yasunori was an onmyoji during the Heian period…supposedly Seimei's teacher. It's a stretch, of course, as there's no guarantee this 'Shuichi' is even descended from him, but…"

Rikuo nodded. "It's another person who has some kind of vague connection to the supernatural. Which, again, links to the ikigimo theory."

"Yeah… Like I said…yokai are—" Ryūji began, but Rikuo cut him off.

"Aaaand we've already been over that. For fuck's sake, are all you onmyoji broken records?" Rikuo's words held no heat, though. He was too pleased that they'd found _some_ kind of lead. Finally.

On the other hand… Rikuo glanced down at the mound of yet to be reviewed cases. He forced back a groan. _Looks like another long night…_

* * *

As dawn broke and weak morning sunlight trickled into the hotel room, first Rikuo and then Ryūji yawned. They'd just finished going through all the files, and while they had more than when they'd started days before, what they had wasn't especially encouraging to either of them. But it was better than nothing.

"I guess now we should try to get more information about the victims, see if we can't come up with a better, uh, profile for whoever is doing this." Rikuo sighed. "Of course, the police have already interviewed family, friends, coworkers, other relevant people, but hell, who knows? Maybe we can dig up something new, some aspect of their life those close to them might not have been aware of."

"What else are we going to do at this point? The whole situation's a shitshow." Ryūji rubbed at his eyes tiredly.

Rikuo snorted. "Yeah, and I'm not too thrilled that we don't have a better idea of who could be doing this. Or even who the victims are—what we have is so fucking broad. I mean, we—or the police, rather—can't exactly warn the public, like, 'hey, those of you who have supernatural abilities or are connected to someone who does, play it safe because you could be a target. Oh yeah, we don't know who's doing it.'"

"Right? They'd think the police had lost their goddamned minds." Ryūji blew out a breath. "But if it does get worse, the police may feel the need to issue some sort of warning about a serial kidnapper or killer. I mean, they already did put one vague request for information in the paper, and it's likely they have a standard media policy and plan in place anyway."

Rikuo nodded. "Which is understandable—their priority is public safety. But, to be honest, we probably should try to get them to delay doing so as long as possible, since the resulting misinformation and subsequent public panic and fear is only going to encourage and empower the yokai responsible. Kind of like with the Hundred Stories clan."

Ryūji drummed his fingers against his thigh. "If you're trying to siphon Fear away from the Nura clan, which is a possibility, especially given the location of the most recent bodies, it's not a bad tactic." At Rikuo's glare, he lifted a brow. "What? It's true. That aside, going back to the general populace… If it were a 'normal' serial killer scenario, soliciting public assistance might be helpful, but not in a case like this." Frustrated, he ran a hand through his already messy hair.

Rikuo placed his hands behind his head and leaned back. "Hmm…what if we tried to get non 'normal' assistance then?" The Hundred Stories clan made him think of Kiyotsugu and his help during the incident.

"Such as?" Ryūji asked.

"Well, we could try putting something on some paranormal websites and message boards asking for information. Plus that would give us an avenue through which we could give some kind of warning for those who might be potential victims."

Ryūji's brows furrowed deeper as he considered. "It's…not a terrible idea," he conceded. "We'll have to phrase it carefully though to prevent panic, not to mention people thinking we're just trolls."

Rikuo nodded. "I'll ask Karasu Tengu and his kids. I'm pretty sure at least one of them maintains a profile on some of the main paranormal sites, you know, to keep an eye on things." Then he laughed lightly. "And I think they also find the various 'yokai sighting' stories amusing."

"Of course they do. Anyway, since it's unfortunately damned near impossible for us to even identify every person in Tokyo with potential links to anything supernatural, let alone protect all of them, this is at least one step we can take for now." Ryūji scowled. "A rather pathetic one, if you ask me, but…" He shrugged.

Rikuo could appreciate the onmyoji's irritation at their relative helplessness. "We're doing the best we can, Ryūji. And I've already enlisted the help of Karasu Tengu, the Sanba Garasu, and the Ukiyoe crows to watch over things, but I can make sure the rest of the clan is aware as well."

"I'll touch base with Yura, see what ideas she has. You should probably watch your ass too."

Rikuo scoffed. "I could say the same for you, onmyoji. I can take care of myself."

"Mmhmm." Ryūji rolled his eyes. "Look, I don't know if hanyō fall into the preferred category for ikigimo, but it's possible you and other part yokai could be targets."

He took a moment to consider before nodding. "I'll have someone get in touch with the various sect leaders and verify that no part yokai have gone missing. What about Kagome? She definitely fits our tentative victim profile."

Ryūji barked a laugh. "Cluelessness aside, she should be more than capable of taking care of herself. But I'm not against you telling her what's going on if you so choose."

Rikuo didn't feel quite as confident as Ryūji about Kagome protecting herself against whoever was perpetrating these crimes. _Or are you just feeling overprotective?_ a snide little voice asked. Maybe so. He couldn't care less if it kept her safe. Perhaps the Sanba Garasu could have a couple of their crows keep an eye on her and her family shrine… He made a mental note to talk to them about it later.

As he tidied up his set of case files and got everything together to leave, Rikuo noticed Ryūji eyeing him, looking pensive.

 _For fuck's sake…what now?_ Rikuo raised an eyebrow. "Oi, spit it out already."

"Far be it from me to give someone relationship advice, but it seems to me if you're planning on pursuing anything beyond a one-night stand with the miko, you might want to tell her the truth," Ryūji said. "Although…on second thought, don't. She appears to have a bit of a temper, and her reaction is liable to be ohhhh so satisfying."

"For the record, Ryūji, not that I need relationship advice, but if I did, you would be the _last_ person I would go to."

Ryūji raised his hands in feigned acquiescence, the effect of which was ruined by his broad smirk. "Hey, it's your funeral." He snorted, apparently having amused himself. "Perhaps literally."

Rikuo groaned. "And on that note…I'll take my leave. Keep me posted."

"Likewise."

* * *

Back at the clan house, Rikuo gave his grandfather and Karasu Tengu a brief update on the situation. He'd fill the others in later, after he'd had some sleep. Once the little crow yokai left, Nurarihyon peered at his grandson.

"So…this Kagome… She still doesn't know you're not human? 'Officially,' I mean?" Nurarihyon asked. Evidently he believed, like Rikuo, that Kagome might be suspicious of what Rikuo really was.

Rikuo shook his head.

"You're going to have to tell her eventually, you know."

First Ryūji, now his grandfather? "I know that," Rikuo said, jaw clenching in irritation. "Though I'm a little surprised you're advocating for me telling a miko about the Nura clan."

"Do you think she's a threat?" When Rikuo shook his head, Nurarihyon shrugged and looked off into the distance. "There you go. And if she turns out to be, we'll handle it." He slanted his gaze at Rikuo. "Keeping secrets is never a good way to begin a relationship. I mean, your grandmother knew right from the start."

"That's because you kidnapped her!" Rikuo snapped.

"And she liked it!" Nurarihyon said smugly.

"Oi." Rikuo held up his hand. "Stop. I don't want to know."

His grandfather rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Kid, you better hope your miko doesn't have a temper anything like Yohime; otherwise you're in for a world of hurt if she finds out you've been lying."

"I haven't been _lying_. I just…haven't volunteered the whole truth."

The statement was met with a raised eyebrow, and when Rikuo said nothing further, his grandfather snorted. "Good luck with that."

"Maybe I'll tell her Monday. I don't know. Look, I'll handle it, okay?" Rikuo said defensively. "Anyone else want to offer unsolicited relationship advice?"

He felt Zen's presence before he heard him, and his eyebrow twitched.

"If you haven't already, you might wanna apologize." Rikuo turned to see Zen's smirk. "Falling asleep around her doesn't send the _best_ message, ya know." The shit-eating grin widened momentarily before Zen broke off into a fit of coughs.

Rikuo resisted the overwhelming urge to strangle everyone. Curling his lips in a tight-lipped smile, he managed a curt "Yeah, thanks," and strode off. He'd feel less homicidal after texting Kagome and once he got some sleep.

* * *

Kagome tossed and turned, shoving her head under her pillow, as if the fluffy rectangle would ward off the nightmares. She should have known better than to tempt fate.

 _But no,_ somebody _had to go and wish they hadn't slept so soundly Thursday night._ Somebody _was oh so sad about missing the hyakki yakō. Well, I hope you're happy._

Kagome was anything but "happy," having only slept for about four hours before waking from an especially gruesome nightmare. She'd managed to fall back asleep around six in the morning, only to force herself back awake shortly after when the dream merely resumed where it had left off. And with Kagura and her reanimated corpses playing the starring role, plus Naraku and his tentacles as a prominent supporting actor, it wasn't something she had any desire to revisit.

She tried her calming breathing, her relaxation techniques, even Kaede's grounding and centering practice with her reiki…but every time she drifted back to sleep, the nightmare returned. So by eight o'clock Sunday morning, she threw in the towel. Sleep was just not happening.

 _It's fine,_ she told herself. _You've got ample things for school to occupy your time, and some training at the shrine and then dinner with the family._

As she grabbed her cell phone to turn off the alarms that she definitely wouldn't be needing now, it buzzed, and a text message notification popped up. A text from Rikuo?

 **Rikuo:** Hey… I'm sorry for dozing off yesterday – I don't generally make it a habit to come see someone and then fall asleep

Kagome couldn't resist the urge to tease him just a teeny bit, so she texted back "and you forgot to bring me something sweet too!"

A minute or two passed, and then her phone pinged again.

 **Rikuo:** I know… sorry… let me make it up to you?  
 **Kagome:** no worries… you can pay me back by ensuring I don't fail my math test!  
 **Rikuo:** That doesn't really seem like enough, but deal. Anyway, hope I didn't wake you up

She bit her lip. He was being thoughtful, apologizing and worrying about that, while she was fretting over whether he was human. _Okay, scratch that…over_ what _he is, since he's clearly not a_ normal _human…_ Still, though it piqued her curiosity even further, it did serve to lessen some of her worries about him being trustworthy or not. _Unless he's lulling you into a false sense of security, that is._

Right. Not going there.

 **Kagome:** Nah I was up. normally I wouldn't be up so early, but you lucked out.

A sudden horrible thought occurred to her. What if he was an early riser? _Ugh…_

 **Kagome:** Are you always up this early?  
 **Rikuo:** Oh hell no. I'm just heading to bed actually

Her eyebrows flew up, and she shook her head to herself. Was sleep-deprivation a habit of his? Of course…it wasn't like she had much room to talk. _Pot, meet kettle…_ That aside, after falling asleep at the sanctuary yesterday, she couldn't _not_ say something. So she sent a quick reply telling him to get some rest.

 **Rikuo:** That's the plan, blue eyes. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow

A frisson of excitement ran through her as she sent back "me too." The nickname he'd unexpectedly bestowed upon her wasn't unwelcome, but she couldn't decipher exactly what it meant, if it meant anything at all. Although, if it was more of an endearment than a casual nickname… Kagome chewed her lip. Better not read too much into it just yet. Still, she couldn't deny she was looking forward to seeing him… _But you're also nervous because you're trying to ignore the supernatural elephant in the room…_ Were there elephant yokai? A frightening thought…

Kagome groaned out loud. "Will you concentrate already? At this rate, it'll be time to head to the shrine and I won't have gotten any work done!"

She perused her bookshelves, snatching rhetoric textbooks and folklore and mythology resources, and then plopped on her sofa with assorted books clustered around her. With sticky notes in hand, she thumbed through the texts, marking relevant passages as she went.

It couldn't have been more than twenty minutes into the process when her phone chimed. Leaning over carefully, lest she upset the mound of materials surrounding her, she snatched her phone from the floor to see a text from Natsumi.

 **Natsumi:** I thought you'd agreed to cut it out with the ignoring texts

Oops. She hadn't responded to Natsumi's text from yesterday yet, a nosy inquiry about both her coffee date with Rikuo as well as his impromptu appearance at the cat sanctuary.

 **Kagome:** Completely forgot – I'm sorry! forgive me?

Natsumi sent an emoji with its fingers under its chin, presumably considering said forgiveness. Then she texted back, "I guess so… BUT on one condition." Kagome sighed.

 **Kagome:** Dare I ask?  
 **Natsumi:** Spill. Or better yet, spill AND agree to get together one night this week!  
 **Kagome:** You're obnoxious, you know that?  
 **Natsumi:** I haven't a clue what you could possibly mean…  
 **Natsumi:** TELLLLLL MEEEEEE

Kagome couldn't help it—she laughed out loud. _How can someone manage to be such meddlesome matchmaker yet so endearing?_

 **Kagome:** There's really not much to tell – we had coffee, I enjoyed his company, he came by the cat sanctuary to see me and fell asleep.  
 **Natsumi:** You have the audacity to call me obnoxious and then get all stingy with the details? -_- Fine. I'll pry it out of you in person  
 **Kagome:** tbh that's probably better since I have a ton of work to do for school. Tuesday or Wednesday night work for you?

Natsumi sent a thumbs-up and then added, "I'll text you tomorrow or early Tues and we'll work out details."

Kagome replied with her own thumbs-up and then promptly switched her phone to silent. Not that she anticipated any further interruptions, but if she was going to make any headway, she couldn't afford anything else breaking her concentration.

 _Now, where was I?_

* * *

 ** _Monday morning_**

After insomnia had thwarted his attempts to get some much-needed sleep, Ryūji called Yura.

Though far less frosty than she had been the last time they'd spoken, Yura's tone still had an edge to it when she answered. "Ryūji-nii-chan…please tell me you have some good news."

"I have news, but I'm not sure if you'll consider it 'good'," he replied.

Her heavy sigh came across the phone line. "Well?"

He filled her in on what he and Rikuo had theorized. "So while technically we have a better grasp on the situation and a rough idea of potential targets, we're not exactly closer to catching the bastard behind this."

Yura didn't speak for a long moment. Then, "I can't say it's ideal, but it's a start. Send me your notes, and I'll see if anyone here has any further insight or suggestions about where to go from here. Thanks, onii-chan."

Ryūji snorted. "You can thank me by having Masatsugu send me that stuff I requested."

"Hmmm…" He heard a noise in the background, perhaps Yura tapping her fingers on something. "The case isn't solved, but…"

" _Tch_. You never said it had to be solved—you said I had to provide evidence of progress, my darling sister."

"That's true," Yura said slowly. "Okay, I'll have Masatsugu drop it in the mail when he gets a chance. Keep me posted on—"

"Wait, hold on. In the mail?" Ryūji interrupted. "The fuck you putting it in the mail for, Yura? Just have him email everything!"

She laughed lightly. "Ohhh but, my _darling_ big brother, you never said it had to be emailed—you said you just wanted it sent to you." When he gave a frustrated growl, she laughed harder. "Like I said, keep me updated!" And with that cheerful imperative, she hung up.

Ryūji blew out a long breath. " _Yare, yare_ … For Yura to pull one over on me…" A dry chuckle escaped him. "Either I'm losing my touch or it's from several days of shittastic sleep…" Whatever the case, it was clear he desperately needed some more rest.

* * *

By Monday afternoon, Kagome's curiosity about Rikuo was making her positively jittery, like a kid hyped up on too much sugar and caffeine, and she really wanted to say screw it, math be damned, and confront him today. But at the same time, she was also nervous about the truth, plus she actually did need to do well on the stupid math test.

The excitement and anticipation over seeing him combined with the stifled "need to know _now_ " had her stomach in knots and her muscles tense, so Kagome decided to go to the cat sanctuary early to try to relieve a little bit of stress. Not to mention it would be nice to be caught up on her work tasks before he arrived.

Feeding the kittens and cleaning their den, as she thought of it, although it actually was an extra-large kennel, came first, with lengthy cuddle-snuggle time. She did her best not to play favorites, but… _Oh, just be honest._ She smooched the Siamese's nose. _This little Kirara kitty is your favorite._ She was still sorely tempted to adopt her. _We'll see…_

Once she got the kittens resettled with some warm towels, she glanced at her watch. She had just over thirty-five minutes before her and Rikuo's agreed-upon meeting time. More than enough time.

Opting for a little aural accompaniment, Kagome popped her earbuds in, dancing and singing along to the tunes as she cleaned the cats' cages and gave them all fresh water and topped off food where needed. She swiveled her hips and twirled, and serenaded the cats with the songs as she worked. _How long has it been since I did this? Listened to music and let loose a bit, that is._ Too long, probably. Whatever the case, though she wasn't completely relaxed, it served to somewhat quell the anxiety zinging through her.

She lost track of time, and as such, she didn't hear the bell on the front door ring when someone let themselves in, nor did she hear said individual call her name. So when she raised up with a mostly—but not completely—empty water bowl from a bottom cage and came face-to-face with Rikuo, she screeched, flinging water over the both of them.

"What the hell, Rikuo!?"

He wiped his face with the back of his forearm. "Damn, sorry for scaring you like that—I tried to get your attention, but I guess you didn't hear me." He grinned, but she could tell he was also struggling not to laugh.

She pressed pause on her music and pulled her earbuds out. "Well, good to know my heart's still working," she said wryly, taking a deep breath to slow her racing pulse.

Rikuo had the good sense to look sheepish then. "Uh…I'm sorry? Again?"

She affected her best stern expression. "Apology accepted— _if_ you clean up the mess you made."

Instead of arguing that she'd been the one to sling water everywhere, he wisely lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender and asked, "Paper towels?"

She pointed to the other side of the room, and when he made his way toward them, she knelt down and returned what she'd been doing. The aging black tomcat named Hades—clearly one of Momo's Greek myth themed group—gave a deep mrow of annoyance at being woken yet again, so she placated him with some gentle scratches under the chin. He squinted his eyes in pleasure, and a loud rumbling purr filled the space.

"Now that's quite a purr," Rikuo said, crouching next to Kagome to peer into the cage.

"Isn't it? Hades might be a skinny old dude, but he's sure still got a big voice," she said, smiling. As Rikuo reached in to pet Hades, Kagome yanked her hand away quickly and stood up, taking a step back. She felt pretty confident she had her reiki under control, but with all the nervous energy running through her and her curiosity over just _what_ he was, she didn't want to risk it.

Rikuo closed the cage gently and turned, his confusion evident on his face. "You okay?"

Somewhere in between thinking up a feasible excuse and speaking it, rationality flew out the window along with whatever she'd intended to say. Instead, she blurted out, "Are you a yokai?"

 _Oops._

* * *

 **Footnotes:  
1.** From the line "What are you talking about" to "you sure about that," portions are quoted from the Nuramago manga chapter 172 and up through Rikuo waking up is a variation on what happens in chapters 172-173. And of course, it goes without saying, but I don't own _Nurarihyon no Mago_ ;-)  
 **2.** _Kusozu_ are paintings of a body in the various stages of death and decomposition, the most well-known being "Body of a Courtesan in Nine Stages" (by Japanese artist Kobayashi Eitaku in the 1870s).

 **Author's Notes:  
1.** No apologies for the shameless cliffhanger ;-) But I will apologize for the somewhat short chapter – I know it's been a while since I updated and it feels a bit like a tease. But hopefully I should have the next chapter out before the end of the month (fingers crossed—had a bit of writer's block on this story lately. Annoying muse.)  
 **2.** As always, a huge thank you to all my readers. You are awesome, every single one of you, and your support means so much.


	16. Chapter 15

Sorry this took a little longer than expected, but I had to work a few kinks out. Thank you all for your reviews and comments, and I really appreciate y'all being patient! :-)  
Anyway, when we last left our intrepid heroine, she'd just asked the question we were all waiting for…

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"I have a face I cannot show  
I make the rules up as I go  
Just try and love me if you can"  
 **―Sheryl Crow,** "Strong Enough"

"'No proper princess would come out looking for dragons,' Woraug objected.  
'Well I'm not a proper princess then!' Cimorene snapped. 'I make cherries jubillee and I volunteer for dragons, and I conjugate Latin verbs—or at least I would if anyone would let me. So there!'"  
 **―Patricia C. Wrede,** _Dealing with Dragons_ (If we substitute miko for princess and yokai for dragons, can't you imagine Kagome as Cimorene?)

* * *

"Are you a yokai?"

She slapped a hand over her mouth. _Kagome, you idiot! What happened to waiting?_ Removing her hand, she tried to formulate an excuse, an apology, something.

Rikuo had jerked back at her question, his body tensing. Then he relaxed, shaking his head, and chuckled. "I don't want to lie to you. Yes, I am a yokai—well, technically a quarter yokai."

A weird sensation rushed through her, equal parts apprehension and excitement. Perhaps because of that, again she blurted out a question before thinking. "What are you?"

 _Real smooth, Kagome._

Rikuo's lips curved up on one side in that sexy half smile of his. "Thought we'd established that I'm a yokai?" Before she could object to the quip, there was a surge of youki, and Rikuo's appearance blurred slightly as his hair lengthened and changed to white atop black, and his eyes shifted from chocolate brown to crimson.

She couldn't help it. Her jaw dropped. _That hair…those eyes… He looks exactly like what I saw_ _at the library!_

As she stared, dumbfounded, Rikuo grinned and, with the flourish of a slight bow, said, "Nura Rikuo, Kanto yokai _sōdaishō_ and Nuragumi _sandaime_ , at your service."

Nervous giggles bubbled up out of her at his over-the-top antics. "How very dramatic, sir. Does this mean I need to call you _Sandaime_? Nura-dono? Rikuo-sama?" she asked playfully.

Rikuo rolled his eyes. "I get enough of that from everyone in the Nura clan to last a lifetime. With you, just Rikuo is more than sufficient, blue eyes."

Something about his admission niggled at the back of her mind. Then, " _Chotto_ —that was _you_ the posts on the paranormal investigation website were talking about?"

Rikuo raised an eyebrow. "What posts? On what… Oi, don't tell me you're on Kiyotsugu's site!"

She felt her cheeks heat but waved her hand impatiently. "That's not important. You're the Lord of Pandemonium who had his Hyakki Yakō out last Thursday night?"

Rikuo shrugged, though a roguish smile spread across his face. "New moon—it was nice and dark. And to be honest, we all needed a night out."

Kagome shook her head. "So which one of you drank all that poor guy's sake?"

He hummed thoughtfully. "I drink a lot of sake… I can't be expected to remember where it all comes from."

"That makes you sound like a drunk, you know…"

Rikuo held his hands up in mock innocence, still grinning wickedly. "Nevertheless, a yokai never tells."

All the questions she had raced through her head, so many it was nigh impossible to choose what to say next, and as she ran her gaze over him, over the _yokai_ —he really was a yokai!—standing before her, to her horror, she felt tears sting the backs of her eyes. She swallowed hard around the sudden tightness in her throat and blinked rapidly.

Rikuo's expression changed instantly to one she'd seen Inuyasha and Miroku wear on rare occasions when either she or Sango had cried, and if she hadn't been so busy trying to rein in the sudden onslaught of emotions, she might have laughed.

"Oi, oi… Are you crying?"

"No," she said emphatically as a traitorous tear simultaneously slipped down her cheek.

As he thumbed away the lone tear, Rikuo smiled gently, but his eyes darkened with concern. "Hey…you all right? What's wrong?"

Kagome bobbed her head up and down, swiping at her eyes with her fingertips. "It's just… I just…" Struggling to articulate everything she was thinking and feeling, she couldn't prevent the words "I missed you!" from tumbling out.

Rikuo cocked his head, clearly baffled. "Me?"

"Not you specifically, _baka_. Yokai in general," she said, frowning, though her annoyance was more for herself than him.

He grinned. "You know…you're a very strange miko."

This time she did glare at him, though his teasing did serve to alleviate her tears. "Okay, one, that answers another question—if you knew—and two, that's rude."

He simply smirked, but before Kagome responded, a sudden realization hit her. Though he clearly had his youki suppressed, he also didn't have it hidden from her entirely, and it was familiar. _Very_ familiar.

"This youki… You! You're the one who returned my umbrella when Oitekebori stole it!" It burst out like an accusation, though she hadn't intended it that way—she really was grateful he'd returned it.

He adjusted the cuff of his shirt sleeve nervously. " _Eto_ … I wasn't trying to spy on you or anything like that! I was just coming in from out of town and happened to see that twerpy ghost snatch your umbrella. I didn't want you to have to walk home in the rain."

"No, I didn't mean it like that! What I meant is thank you. It's my mom's umbrella, and she would've killed me if I'd lost it." She paused. "How'd you get it back, anyway?"

"Well, as I'm sure you figured out, Oitekebori grabs an object of value from individuals in her territory. What you don't know, and took me a little time to learn myself, is that she has a sweet tooth. I happened to have some sweets with me, and I made a trade."

"A sweet tooth? Huh. Who'd have thought? Not like being aware of that would've helped me at the time," she grumbled, still a tad peeved about being outsmarted by the specter.

Rikuo nudged her playfully with his elbow. "Don't worry too much about her. Remind me to tell you about the time she stole my sword." At Kagome's incredulous look, he laughed. "I thought Zen was going to have a coronary. It's not exactly an easily replaced sword…"

She perked up. "Is it a yokai sword? Can I see it? Hey, what kind of yokai are you, anyway? You never clearly answered that… Some research indicates Nurarihyon is the leader of the Hyakki Yakō, but you don't really resemble the pictures… Of course, we both know that folklore anecdotes aren't always the most credible resources, and they don't always have reliable illustrations of the supernatural, right? Well, that's not the point. The point was what kind of yokai you are. Do you really have one hundred yokai in your night parade? And aren't you kind of young to be the Kanto yokai supreme commander?" She took a breath, and then continued. "Oh, wait, how old _are_ you? Now that I know you're a yokai, or part yokai, whatever, I guess it's foolish to assume you're the age you appear—"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down," he said, laughing. "For the record, I'm twenty-four. Years, not decades. But…while I understand that you have a lot of questions, and I'm more than happy to answer any and all of them"—he held up a hand, ostensibly to stop her from launching into another litany of questions—"you agreed to this date under the terms of me helping you study, specifically helping you pass, and I always make good on my word. So…math first, questions later?"

She groaned and then swore under her breath. "Math…bane of my existence." _Oh, but what if…_ Kagome chewed her lip, and then a sly smile emerged. "How about a trade? For every, oh, I don't know, fifteen or twenty minutes of studying, you answer a question for me?"

Rikuo barked a laugh at her bargaining attempt. "A fan of the carrot rather than the stick approach?"

"More like not a fan of math and looking for some way to make it more enjoyable." She glared at her textbook. _If I were a cat, I'd bury it in the litter box…_

* * *

An insistent beeping sounded from Kagome's phone, and she blew out a sigh of relief, ruffling her bangs. "First break, finally."

Rikuo grinned, unable to contain his amusement at her utter disdain for math. "It's really not as bad as you're making it out to be."

They'd decided to work in the cat room, figuring the cats would enjoy the company, and had settled comfortably on the floor, spreading her materials out around them. Now, Kagome stretched and leaned back, resting her hands behind her, laughing lightly as a couple kittens made a beeline for her now-accessible lap. She straightened slightly, taking care not to jostle them, and looked at him pointedly as she stroked their fur. "So. Question?"

He nodded, snagging a cat dancer toy and waving it distractedly for a hyper tabby. "Ask away."

The smile Kagome gave him reached all the way to her sapphire-colored eyes. "All right, to start, what kind of yokai are you?"

" _Tch_. Don't waste a question on that—if you've been on Kiyotsugu's site, you should know the yokai supreme commander is a Nurarihyon. Which is true." He snickered when she stuck her tongue out at him. _She sure can be feisty, not that I'm complaining…_

"Okay, well, then what sort of a yokai is Nurarihyon?"

Rikuo laced his hands together behind his head, thinking back to his first trip to Tōno and his own struggle to answer that very question. "Honestly, it's a little complicated. The short answer is, yes, a Nurarihyon is one of those yokai that sneaks into people's houses, eating their food and drinking their tea."

"Or sake," she added.

His lips quirked into a half smile. It had been good sake, too. "Or sake. _Kami_ knows my grandfather is guilty of having dined and dashed more than a little. But it's more than that. At the heart of that less-than-impressive reputation lies part of a Nurarihyon's skill, which, for lack of a better term, is somewhat akin to illusion."

"Illusion? Like a kitsune?" Kagome asked, absently rubbing the heel of her palm against her chest, which he'd noticed her doing occasionally. Was it an unconscious habit? And if so, why?

Rikuo refocused on her question and frowned. Though he no longer _despised_ Hagoromo Gitsune as he'd once done, he still wasn't overly fond of kitsune, and being compared to them rankled his yokai pride. "Not exactly. Okay, let's back up. Illusion is not quite right." He rested his chin in one hand, considering. His grandfather's explanation was probably the best option since he was striving to keep things brief for the moment.

"Okay, imagine when you see the moon's reflection on the surface of water, like in a pond. It's not entirely an illusion—you see the moon floating in the pond. If you try to touch it, it slips away from you, disappears yet reappears. As my grandfather calls it, ' _kyoka suigetsu_ ' or a yokai who embodies dreams."

Kagome tilted her head and eyed him. "So you Nurarihyon truly are slippery like eels?"

Rikuo smirked. "Exactly. I should have known you'd be familiar with that. Anyway, that's both a vague and oversimplified answer, but I can give you more details later. Now, back to math."

She grimaced but complied, and another twenty minutes passed by quickly. As she scribbled down notes, he wondered about her rubbing her chest. It was near the area her youki seemed to emanate from…was it linked to her curse? He'd have to ask her, when the time was right.

At their second break, she'd acted nervous about her question, avoiding eye contact and biting her lip before finally asking him how he'd known she was a miko, and when.

"Uh, well, pretty much since that day at the library. You know, you zapping me with what I figured out was reiki after I talked to my grandfather. He suggested you were a miko, and then Ryūji was the one to confirm it."

Kagome's fidgeting ceased, and her eyes narrowed. "You talked to Ryūji about me? And your grandfather?"

 _Oh fuck_. He couldn't gauge by her expression if she was annoyed or curious, and while he hoped it was the latter, he worried it was the former.

"Yes?" he answered cautiously.

"About what precisely?" Her tone conveyed no more than her expression, and Rikuo decided at this point, best to be honest and beg forgiveness than to go against his better instincts and try to fib his way out of it.

He kept the overview of his conversation with his grandfather after their initial meeting concise. He considered skipping Karasu Tengu's involvement, but figured she'd likely hear about his and Tsurara's visit from her grandfather eventually—if she hadn't already.

"So…then we paid a visit to your family's shrine, though you weren't there. Your grandfather seems very nice by the way."

Her eyebrows flew up. "You went to our shrine?"

 _Uh-oh_. He hoped he hadn't made a terrible error in judgment. "Yeah… Uh, look, I know it might seem stalkerish and all, but—"

Kagome cut him off. "No, no, well, maybe. Okay, yeah, in theory, but I can understand your reasoning. I mean, I can't say I'm _thrilled_ that you suspected me as a threat, but I can't blame you. But…um…" Her hands flexed and curled into fists against her thighs. "What exactly did _jii-chan_ say?"

 _That's what she was worried about?_ Rikuo couldn't have explained it, but he got the impression that her nervousness stemmed from more than the possibility of her grandfather saying something embarrassing. Pushing the feeling aside, he told her about their visit, though he didn't mention his suspicions that the old man had been hiding something. He'd ask her about that at a better time. _Sometime when she seems less skittish about the subject._

The tension gradually left Kagome's body, and she gave him a small grin. "Be thankful he didn't realize you and Tsurara-san were yokai. He'd likely have doused you in holy wine and plastered _ofudas_ all over you!"

Rikuo chuckled. "Wouldn't be the first time. Ryūji wanted to kill me the first time we met—and I'm not exaggerating. But that sounds like you speak from personal experience?"

For a split second, anguish shone on Kagome's face. But as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, leaving Rikuo to wonder if he'd imagined it. _No, I didn't imagine it. But what caused it?_

Her voice held no trace of emotion when she answered. "Well, let's just say you wouldn't be the first hanyō he'd met."

He raised his eyebrows. "Ho?"

She nodded and then glanced at her watch. "Guess it's time to get back to work, huh?"

Her evasiveness only made Rikuo more intrigued, and although he didn't press the subject now, he made a mental note to do so at a later date. _That seems to be becoming a trend today…_ he thought wryly.

And so the next hour and a half passed by swiftly. From time to time, they had to shoo away a cat or two who wanted to lounge atop her textbooks or chew on her notebooks, and once, a poorly timed pounce resulted in a page of notes requiring rewriting. During the agreed-upon study breaks, Kagome asked about his life as a part yokai, such as which of his parents was not fully human, a topic that first led to them discussing how both of their fathers were deceased, then to how his father was murdered, and then to how he became the Nuragumi _sandaime_. These subjects he had to overgeneralize, and the resulting discussions had to be severely curtailed due to time constraints. All in all, though, Rikuo had to admit Kagome had handled his confession far better than he'd anticipated, and he found it only made her that much more appealing to him.

He really wanted to ask her a few questions himself, such as about her youki, about the so-called curse as Ryūji had referred to it, but Rikuo decided that for today, he'd let her be the one to pose the questions. Plus he had a sneaking suspicion that the conversation wouldn't be a brief one, and as he'd promised to help her pass her math test, he knew getting into some of these more complex topics was liable to be more than a little distracting, not to mention make for a late night.

 _And we're back to that annoyingly omnipresent theme for today—"we'll talk about it later."_ He snorted, and Kagome regarded him inquisitively.

"Sorry, just thinking that a lot of the things we've brought up today warrant more lengthy discussion."

She rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. Holy hell, do I hate math. It ruins everything."

"Oi, oi, I wouldn't go that far, blue eyes. In fact, I'd say you owe math a thank-you."

The look she gave him was a blend of disbelief and pure disgust. "Oh really? How so?"

Rikuo grinned. "Thanks to your math test, you get to spend the afternoon, and evening, with me."

Kagome groaned loudly and mock glared at him. "I should zap you with my reiki."

He laughed. "Ryūji would like that."

She wrinkled her nose slightly at the mention of the onmyoji. "I'm loath to do anything that he would approve of; however, if it takes that ego of yours down a peg…"

"Ego?" he asked with artificial incredulousness. "What ego? I'm confident." He drew his shoulders back and held his hands palm up, making Kagome snicker.

"Yeah, okay…"

"As a yokai, especially a yokai leader, you have to be. But I wasn't always. And truthfully, there are times I still doubt myself. But I can't. I can't have self-doubts or be weak—if I'm weak, it affects my Hyakki Yakō, and they deserve better," Rikuo said, dropping the self-assured swagger.

 _He_ knew what he said made sense logically, but he was surprised to see her nod slowly, her eyes flicking upward as though remembering something. She muttered something to herself that he didn't quite catch—surely she didn't say Sengoku?—and when she glanced over, finding him staring, she flushed guiltily, hastening to apologize.

"Sorry… I was just messing with you. I didn't mean…"

He gave her a half grin, and her blush deepened slightly. "I know. And I'm not saying you should stop, either. Just wanted you to know I'm not _completely_ conceited."

"Only mostly?" she replied, grinning in return.

He shrugged, though he couldn't resist directing a mischievous look toward her. "Hey, is it really 'arrogance' if it's true?"

Kagome half groaned, half laughed. "You're kind of undermining the whole 'I'm not an arrogant ass' thing."

"Oh, so I'm an ass now? My lady miko, you wound me."

Instead of the snarky retort or rolling eyes he expected, Kagome's smile wavered and she stared down at her lap.

 _What the fuck?_

* * *

"Oh, so I'm an ass now? My lady miko, you wound me."

For a moment, his intonation and expression had reminded her so very much of Miroku, Kagome was whisked back to the past and she half expected Hiraikotsu to bash him on the head. Gods, she missed them.

She didn't even realize she'd looked down until a gentle hand tipped her face up. "Oi, what's that look for?" Gone was his playful demeanor, his ruby-hued eyes serious and concerned.

"I… Sorry. It's nothing." _Nothing, except that you reminded me of a dear friend who's been dead for centuries._

His eyebrows furrowed. "Doesn't look like nothing, blue eyes, but I won't pry."

A part of her wished he would, that he would ask the questions she was scared to answer and not allow her to evade. The larger part of her, on the other hand, was relieved. It was selfish, to be sure, but she didn't want to tell him yet, didn't want to potentially ruin the way things were if the truth wasn't received well.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Rikuo tilted his head to one side. "For? Not prying?"

She shook her head slightly. "No. I mean, yes, but more than that… Thank you for letting me see the _real_ you—for telling me the truth about you being a yokai. It means a lot."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Ah, hell, I should be thanking you for not being angry at me for keeping it a secret for so long."

Kagome averted her eyes, trying to ignore the guilt constricting her chest. "Hmm… Well, we all have secrets." She watched a couple of the younger cats scamper across the room, one swatting a ball and making its bell jingle.

Rikuo tapped her knee, and she turned back to face him, his intense gaze causing her stomach to flutter. "True, but I'd rather not hide anything from you. Being dishonest doesn't come easily to me," he said, lips curving upward.

 _And here I am being evasive as fuck. Nope, not awkward at all…_ The band of guilt crushing her chest tightened further. Taking a deep breath, she crammed the guilt away into the far reaches of her mind before exhaling slowly. Then, she managed a weak, "That's not a bad trait to have, Rikuo."

He shrugged. "Perhaps, but there are those, especially yokai, who would say deceit is a useful skill."

"Yeah, well, strategic deception and being a generally dishonest individual are two different things, if you ask me." She smiled at him. "Besides, I think you've got the whole subterfuge thing down pretty well. You managed to hide your presence from me even when you were asleep!"

Rikuo startled. "Huh?"

Kagome bit her lip. Damn her speaking without thinking. "So…remember on Saturday how you fell asleep here?" He nodded, and she explained what she'd done and discovered, or the lack of her discovery, really.

She wondered how he'd react. _Hopefully he won't be pissed…_ Her shoulders drooped slightly.

To her surprise, he laughed. When she stared at him, wide-eyed, he said, " _Gomen_ , Kagome. It's just… The thought of you being paranoid about asking me, and me being worried about telling you… We're quite the pair, aren't we?"

Relief flooded through her. "Hold up. You were worried?"

"Oi, blue eyes. Though you're the first miko I've met, drawing on my experiences with onmyoji, as a general rule, a smart yokai avoids pissing off someone whose powers are uniquely designed to kill them, no matter how pretty or friendly she is."

Ignoring the urge to preen—compliment aside, there was something pleasing about her being his _first_ miko—Kagome said nonchalantly, "I wouldn't have _killed_ you. Sealed you, maybe."

He laughed again, but when she didn't, it trailed off a bit nervously. "You're…joking, right?" She twisted her lips, pretending to think. "Right? Kagome?"

She pressed a hand to her mouth, but the laughter still snuck past. "Sorry…" She sucked in a breath. "It's just… You…" Another deep breath. "Your face…"

Rikuo stared at her for a moment and then snorted. "You're evil, you know that?"

"Evil? Excuse me, which one of us is the yokai here?"

"That's a matter of perspective and human propaganda."

All attempts at composure fled. "You can't be serious! 'Human propaganda'?" she giggled.

He affected disbelief, saying, "C'mon, now, you don't _really_ believe yokai are evil, do you? Sure, we _can_ be, but so can humans."

"Okay, okay," she conceded. "That might be true, but propaganda?" She raised an eyebrow.

He made a sound that she interpreted as poorly stifled laughter. "Oh, hell, I don't know. Though you can't deny it _does_ sound like something some crotchety old onmyoji might try."

The mental image of a grizzled Ryūji, back curved under the weight of age, passing out pamphlets warning against the dangers of yokai came to mind, and entertaining as it was, she also found it all too plausible. "Fair enough."

Rikuo gestured toward her textbook and notes. "You feel more confident now?"

"Definitely!" she said brightly, and it was true—she _did_ feel much better about going into the exam now.

He looked more than a little smug at the confirmation, but then asked, "Hey, not that I'm complaining about getting to spend time with you, but why didn't you ask Natsumi-chan for help?"

Kagome winced. _Now that you mention it…oops._ "It didn't occur to me?"

"Hmm…let me guess. You don't ask for help very often, do you?" His tone remained lighthearted, but those crimson eyes were serious as they held her gaze.

She glanced away temporarily, not sure she wanted to delve into something like that. Then, with the mention Natsumi, Kagome recalled her remark about believing in yokai and then her evasion when Kagome had asked her about Rikuo. "Hey! Does Natsumi-chan know you're a yokai?"

Rikuo looked taken aback at the swift change in subject. "Uh…yeah? Of course she does."

 _"Of course she does"? What does that—_ "Oh, hell, don't tell me Kurotabō is a yokai too?"

"Okay, I won't tell you."

Ignoring him, Kagome scowled. "I am going to kill her."

"Nahhhh, don't be too upset with her. It isn't like we tell a lot of people, and then also with you being a miko, not that Natsumi-chan knows that… Well, anyway, cut her some slack. My best guess is she was waiting for the right time to mention it. Plus she probably wanted to check with Kuro to see if it was all right to tell someone outside the clan. Speaking of which, you'll have to come to the main house sometime, meet everyone." He grinned. "Knowing them, they'll use it as an excuse to have a party…"

Kagome felt as if all the air had left her lungs, and she mercilessly crushed the squeal of glee that wanted to erupt from her at the prospect of meeting an entire _clan_ of yokai, safe yokai who wouldn't try to maim or eat her, but would rather throw a party. Struggling to keep her voice level, she said, "Sure! I'd like that!"

"Me too. So…you free tomorrow night?"

Kagome nodded—she hadn't made any concrete plans with Natsumi yet. Did he mean for her to meet the clan tomorrow? Surely not…

"All right, how about we go out, then? It can either be in congratulations for surviving the test or in consolation if you think you failed miserably."

"Hey!" She poked his arm. "Wasn't the whole point of today so that I don't fail?"

"Truthfully, no." Rikuo grinned impishly. "The point—for me, at least—was to spend time with you. You passing is merely a bonus— _Itai_!"

Kagome smirked at the yelp he produced when she sent a tiny spark of reiki at him. "Something wrong?"

"Oi! You know damn well what's wrong, so don't give me that innocent act, Kagome. I ain't buying it."

She shrugged nonchalantly and scooped up a cat, hiding her broadening grin as she kissed the top of its head. _I wasn't lying when I said I missed yokai…and I missed_ this _. Being able to be me…well…mostly me._ The guilt she'd locked away earlier strained at its containment, but she only shoved it further. _I'll tell him later…eventually…_

Rikuo had crossed his arms, giving her a feigned stern look when he caught sight of her grin. Then he jumped as one of the more wild adolescent cats darted across the room and leapt up to playfully attack the end of his long, gravity-defying hair. It warmed her heart when he didn't react with anger, but rather laughed, then gently pried the claws out of his hair, set the cat down, and tossed a catnip toy its direction. Then he glanced at her. "You hungry?"

"Mmhmm. Where—"

Rikuo's phone ringing interrupted her, and he squinted at the screen and frowned. "I'm sorry. I need to get this."

She waved her hand. "No, it's fine!"

"Hey, Zen, everything okay?" A pause. "'Cause you hardly ever call me. Uh-huh… Seriously though…is there a problem?" he asked, voice tinged with apprehension.

As he talked, Kagome watched him. When he answered the phone, she had never seen him so serious, but now he'd relaxed significantly, his worried frown fading. _What's that about?_

"Wait, Tuesday morning, as in tomorrow? Shit." Rikuo raked a hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah, I'll go." A soft smile tugged at his lips. Just who was he talking to?

After another moment, he scoffed. "Oi, oi, I don't want to hear that from you! You're the lazy one—I'm going to be stuck training with Itaku while you get to lounge around in the hot springs. Huh? Yeah, okay…" He stopped, and his gaze met hers. "Hey, lemme let you go. I'll see you at the house later, and we'll work out the details then."

Rikuo hung up and then smiled apologetically at Kagome. "Sorry about that," he said. "I wouldn't have answered, but Zen… Well, he doesn't call me very often, and his health isn't so hot."

"It's fine—is everything okay?"

He sighed, one of long-suffering. "Yeah, it's nothing bad. He wants me to go with him to Tōno, and truthfully, I don't mind going with him, but he didn't exactly give me much notice. You cool with us rain-checking dinner tomorrow? I wouldn't normally ask that of you, except it's Zen…"

"Uh-huh, sure, that's fine," Kagome replied distractedly. She could tell he did feel bad, and she truly didn't mind, but she was too busy internally freaking out over something else he'd said. _Tōno? As in, Tōno Monogatari?_ Kagome did her best to hold in her inner folklorist and yokai fangirl. _Tōno isn't going anywhere. Maybe you can finagle a way into getting him to take you there some day…_

Rikuo gave her a strange look. "You okay?"

She grinned sheepishly. "Uh-huh. It's…um, Tōno is kind of a hotspot for folklorists, ya know?"

"Just folklorists? Or also yokai fans?" he asked, lips curved in a mischievous smirk. When she averted her gaze, he laughed. "Trust me, it's not as cool as you think. Although, they do have a nice hot spring… And some good sweets… And I do have several friends there… Well, I guess it's all right, aside from the literal weasel bastard of a trainer I have." She could tell by the way he said it, though, that he felt nothing but fondness for his instructor.

"You're only making me _more_ jealous, you know that, right?" Kagome twisted her lips in a frown.

Rikuo snorted and shook his head. "Come on, let's get some food. You've got a test tomorrow, and I've got the trip up to Tōno with Zen to prep for."

After she did a quick check on all the cat sanctuary residents, they headed out the door, but after locking up, she hesitated. "If you don't have time to do dinner tonight, I understand."

"Whoa, who said anything about not having time?" He grinned at her. "For you, I'll make time."

She felt her cheeks grow warm. _Smooth jerk has to know what he's doing_. "So where to?"

Rikuo shrugged. "You pick. Anything you want."

Kagome gave him a broad smile, and she said cheerfully, "I know _just_ the place!" Then, she grabbed his hand, tugging him down the street. "I hope you like oden!"

* * *

Not too far from her apartment was a quaint little restaurant on a side street, with limited seating. They were lucky to snag two spots right as two other guests were leaving. Kagome's mouth watered, and she all but quivered in excitement as their food arrived. She disregarded Rikuo's curious glance and then muffled laugh in favor of digging in.

After several mouthfuls, Kagome hummed in satisfaction. "It's almost—not quite—as good as my mom's. You'll have to come over the next time she makes it for us."

The instant the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Oh _kami_ , what was she saying? Had she really just invited him to meet her family, have dinner with them, so casually…and so soon? She held back a wince, uncertain how he'd respond.

Rikuo smiled. "I'd like that."

 _He'd like that? What does that mean?_ Kagome had no idea how to interpret that, but she _was_ relieved he hadn't discounted it entirely. And to her surprise, she found that she wanted him to meet her family…and she wanted to meet his, a desire that went beyond her curiosity over the yokai. _Fuckfuckfuck…what does_ that _mean?_

In her mental panic, she somehow managed to inhale broth and half-choked, half-coughed.

"You okay?" Rikuo asked, tone laced with concern.

She nodded as she continued to cough, waving a hand in front of her, and then took a sip of her water. "Sorry. Down the wrong way. Anyway, um…" Kagome paused and took a careful bite, scrambling to change the subject. "So…"

The universe took pity on her, as Rikuo was the one to do so. "So, random change of topic, if that's okay?"

 _Oh by all means…_ "Of course!" she said brightly.

He hesitated, as though he were considering his next words. Then, "You know Ryūji?"

Her lip curled involuntarily. "Yes…"

Rikuo grinned. "Right…forgot you're not especially fond of him. Like I told you, he has that effect on people. But he's not _all_ bad."

"I'll take your word for it," Kagome said dryly.

"Anyway, he and I are working together on something… A, uh, project…"

"A project?"

He drummed his fingers on the table and then snapped them like an idea had occurred to him. "We're writing a book!"

 _What?_ "A book?" she asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. _Is he serious? There's no way…_

"Yeah, a book about yokai and these two detectives…" Rikuo gave her an expectant look, and it hit her.

 _Ahhhh, I get it now!_ She ducked her head to try to hide a mischievous grin. She just couldn't resist. "Right, right, sorry. I forgot you two are romance novel writers. So this one's romantic suspense?"

Rikuo's eyes widened, and then his lips twitched. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and a second later, her phone chimed.

 **Rikuo:** romance novels? Really? you're having way too much fun with this  
 **Kagome:** but you made it so easy though! ;-)

"You were saying?" Kagome said out loud, attempting to keep her tone innocent.

He snorted. "I wanted to get your…hmm…opinion. So the, uh, main characters, the detectives, are a…yokai guy and his, uh, partner, who's an onmyoji."

"Let me guess—the onmyoji is an asshole?"

Rikuo grinned. "Nailed it." He sobered. "Anyway…so the onmyoji guy gets contacted by the local police, who want their help on a case they're having trouble solving."

Kagome nodded. "Ahh, of course, the quintessential useless police trope. A mystery staple." She fought back a grin as she ate more of her oden.

He rolled his eyes and tapped on his phone briefly.

 **Rikuo:** not helping

Kagome couldn't contain her smirk then and sent a shrug emoji.

Rikuo gave an exaggerated sigh, but one corner of his mouth slanted upward. "Well, to be fair, it isn't entirely the police's fault; they're not exactly used to dealing with the paranormal."

"This is true. All right, so they're not _completely_ useless."

He arched an eyebrow. "Careful, you're starting to sound a bit like that onmyoji character…"

The smirk dropped off her face, and this time she was the one to shoot off a hurried text.

 **Kagome:** remember earlier? you, my reiki, bzzzzzz

A wheeze came from the other side of the table, and she glanced up to see Rikuo cough into his sleeve.

"You get oden down the wrong way too?" She tsked. "We really should be more careful."

Rikuo half coughed, half laughed. "I swear, blue eyes, you're going to be the death of me. Would you please let me finish?"

"Yes, sorry. Just…hmm…don't compare me to that onmyoji character, 'kay?"

He proceeded to tell her a tale, which she assumed to be fairly edited for their current surroundings, of murder, kidnappings, and a vague supernatural link. He kept his tone light and peppered the story with a dash of humor, yet Kagome could sense the seriousness that lay behind his façade.

 _How the hell was all this going on without me noticing?_ Kagome squashed the tendril of guilt that tried to worm its way through her. _You couldn't have known. And you know now._

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that your characters have hit a bit of a wall. Is that…hmm…writer's block or part of the plotline?"

Rikuo shrugged and exhaled harshly, clearly frustrated. "Both? I guess Ryūji and I aren't sure, uh, where to take our characters." He paused for a moment, and then awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, there's one other part of the story…you know, since we're _romance_ writers, and all…" He looked at her pointedly. "The yokai character…"

Kagome's mouth went dry. _Where is he going with this?_

"He's met this girl, someone pretty special. Turns out she's a miko and has a fair amount of knowledge about the paranormal."

Kagome took a gulp of her water, swallowed. "And?" She flinched at the hopeful note in her voice.

Rikuo gave her one of his half-grins that she found utterly appealing. "And he likes her a lot. But he's worried about all this shit going down, concerned she might be a target, even though he knows she can probably take care of herself."

"Probably?" she huffed, though mostly in teasing. "I should hope that your character would have enough faith in her. If not, you should, hmm, consider revising that part. Just my oh so humble opinion."

Rikuo laughed. "Consider it revised. Still…you can't blame the guy for worrying about someone he cares about, right?" His gaze held hers captive, and for a moment, she swore she caught a hint of red in those brown eyes.

The idea of him caring about her, and being concerned for her safety, warmed her to the tips of her toes. And apparently, the tips of her ears as well, if the flush she felt in her face was anything to go by. She cleared her throat. "R-right. Um, has your character thought about asking this girl for her help?"

He nodded. "Absolutely. But when he returns from a, uh, 'business trip'." He made air quotes and she giggled.

 _This is insane. We're insane._ She eyed their empty bowls. "Ready to go?"

"Oh, hell, your test tomorrow. Right."

* * *

They headed out of the little restaurant and toward her apartment. Kagome tilted her head up to look at the sky as they walked, and Rikuo heard a wistful sigh escape her.

"Yen for your thoughts?" he asked.

"I miss seeing the stars. They were so bright back then…" There was a melancholy note to her voice, a soul-deep longing that almost had him offering to take her to Tōno with him tomorrow, but he knew he couldn't put her in that position. It wouldn't be fair—she'd definitely want to skip her test to go.

Instead, he said impulsively, "I'll take you with me to Tōno next time. You can see the stars really well there. And, well, I know there are other reasons you'd enjoy it."

Kagome startled at his offer, nearly tripping. "Really?"

Rikuo wanted to smack himself. _I have no fucking clue how I'm going to get Itaku to agree to it…_ However, the way she smiled at him, the unrestrained joy on her face filled him with such happiness, he'd be damned if he didn't find a way to make it happen. "Really."

She pressed her lips together, as though holding something back, and turned around to face forward, continuing their stroll toward her apartment. But he didn't miss the tiny skip in her step as she did so.

 _Why does making her happy make_ me _so happy?_

The answer was obvious, and he knew it.

 _Well, shit. Didn't see that coming._

* * *

 **Author's notes:**  
1\. The part about "kyoka suigetsu" is from _Nurarihyon no Mago_ chapter 72

2\. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter and that it made up for the cliffhanger last time ;-)


	17. Chapter 16

Working on this chapter and plotting what's to come in the next few chapters was like pulling teeth, and those who know me are aware of my dentist-related anxiety. So apologies that it took longer than I'd hoped to get this one finished.

* * *

 **Quotes:**

Clucky: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Maid Marian: "Or forgetful."  
 **–Walt Disney's** _Robin Hood_

"She was broken. She was useless. She was the pointless half of a friendship. The one who would live forever in shadows, no matter what she did."  
 **–Susan Dennard** , _Windwitch_

* * *

In the anemic light of predawn, Rikuo leapt into the branches of a tall cedar and, sitting, pressed his back against the trunk, breathing in the spicy aroma of the evergreen surrounding him, and enjoying the short break in their sparring. He and Itaku had started training not too long after he and Zen arrived in Tōno, and although he wasn't as winded as he'd let Itaku think he was, the intermission allowed him the opportunity to send Kagome a quick text, wishing her luck on her test.

He was a bit surprised when he got her thank you in reply, not expecting her to be up quite so early. Still, her reply had him smiling to himself, and he let his head drop back, eyes closing as he thought of the previous evening.

After making his ridiculous promise to someday take her to Tōno—a promise he had every intention of keeping—he'd finished walking Kagome to her apartment, and they'd said a short good-bye outside her door, Kagome thanking him for dinner and for his help. He chuckled lightly as he recalled her mumbled aside about still hating math.

 _"Yeah, I know. I can tell it's a long-standing vendetta between you and mathematics."_

 _Kagome pressed her lips into a flat line. "And to top it off, you're going to Tōno of all places. It's like salt in a wound."_

 _Her expression soured further at his bark of laughter. "Sorry, blue eyes. I won't be gone long, can't be with the, uh, 'romantic suspense novel' Ryūji and I are working on. But it's not like I'm disappearing"—he gestured with his cell phone—"you can always text me." Then he added teasingly, "Though if you wait as long as you did the first time to text me, I might be back in town already."_

 _She'd stuck her tongue out at him, before laughing softly. "Well, when you get back, I'd be more than happy to, hmm, give you feedback on your novel and any developments."_

 _He nodded. "I'll take you up on that. Oh, and since apparently you're on Kiyotsugu's site…"_

 _She colored slightly, but said, "I'll let you know if there's anything there you could use."_

 _"All right… Well…see you when I get back, then."_

After finally telling her good-bye, Rikuo had felt as if he'd tapped a previously unused reservoir of energy, making him way too wired to sleep when he got back to the main house. He'd persuaded Zen to go ahead and leave for Tōno, figuring the sooner they went, the sooner he could return to Tokyo, and to Kagome.

For Zen's sake, they took Oboroguruma, but it certainly didn't help diminish the restless energy humming through Rikuo. On the way, Rikuo fielded questions from Zen about the investigation with Ryūji and then, which Rikuo suspected he had been building up to, questions about Kagome. Rikuo answered them all honestly. After all, especially from Zen, he had nothing to hide. Zen had been quiet afterward, pensive for several minutes. Then he'd spoken. Rikuo's jaw tightened as he thought about what Zen had said.

 _"She's not just a quick fuck or a pretty distraction to ease your boredom for a while, is she?"_

 _The almost accusative tone Zen used caused Rikuo's blood to heat, though he merely replied with a clipped, "No. Why?"_

 _Zen's dark red eyes traced his face, searching for what, Rikuo did not know. "Tread carefully, brother. A human, and a miko to boot? There will be those who won't approve."_

 _Silence filled the ox-cart as the two men stared at each other, and the palpable tension crackled in the air. Before he could utter whatever angry retort he had planned to snarl at Zen—or deck him—Zen suddenly laughed and slapped his friend on the shoulder._

 _"But, hey, not like you've ever given a shit about something like that, right?"_

He'd continued laughing, which dissolved into hacking coughs, but the tension between them had been broken.

Zen was correct, to some extent; after all, their unconventional approach to life had been why so many yokai had been drawn to each of the Nura men. And it wasn't exactly like a Nura man falling in love with a human woman would be news—most yokai in the clan would likely assume he took after his father and grandfather before him, his father's marriage to Yamabuki Otome notwithstanding. The fact that she was a miko, however… _That might be more troublesome._

Rikuo thought of Kagome, of her smile, those bright blue eyes that shone with eagerness and enthusiasm, her quick wit and sense of humor. The hints of carefully hidden grief, anxiety, and pain he suspected were caused by what she was holding back from him. Because she was definitely keeping _something_ from him, that much had been evident yesterday. But contrary to any conspiracy theory Karasu Tengu might think up, Rikuo felt on a soul-deep level that Kagome wasn't being secretive out of maliciousness. Hopefully, he could convince her to trust him with whatever it was. _Perhaps telling her about my past in more detail would get her to open up…_

No, Kagome was definitely no mere temporary distraction. How serious things became between them remained to be seen, depending on how she felt, but again Zen was right—Rikuo planned on pursuing something long-term. _And if someone wants to bitch about it and start trouble…_ He grinned and cracked his knuckles. Well, he had never been one to back down from a fight.

Speaking of which… He leaned aside just in time, one of Itaku's sickles impaling the trunk next to his face. _Guess that's my signal that break time's over._

He spotted Itaku propped up against a tree a few feet away, and using his Fear to vanish, Rikuo swung down off the branch. He saw Itaku straighten, and he put on a burst of speed, hoping to catch Itaku perhaps marginally unaware.

At the last second, Itaku's eyes shone gold, and he thrust his kama up in front of his face, crossing them to block Rikuo's two-handed downward strike and severing Rikuo's Fear. Itaku aimed a kick at Rikuo's chest, seemingly connecting before Rikuo dissolved into a mist of youki.

And so the sparring continued, the two men zipping through the mountainside in a blur, their location more readily identified by the sound of their weapons occasionally clashing than by sight. During one such clash, Itaku barely sidestepped Rikuo's thrust, catching his blade with his sickles. They stared each other in the face, arms straining, both a little breathless, neither giving an inch. Possibilities for creating an advantageous opening raced through Rikuo's mind. _What about… Hmm…_

It was a calculated risk; Itaku's speed was not to be easily dismissed. _Oh, but I do love a challenge._ Rikuo suppressed the urge to grin and flicked his eyes to the left, then widening them as if spotting something.

To his surprise, Itaku took the bait, glancing to his right momentarily. But a moment was all Rikuo needed.

Letting go of his sword with his right hand, he drew his arm back and hit Itaku square in the face, with enough force to snap his head back. For a second, Itaku staggered, and Rikuo hooked a foot behind Itaku's ankles, sweeping his feet out from under him and knocking him to the ground.

Planting a foot on the kamaitachi's chest, he pointed his sword at Itaku's throat, not even trying to mask his amazement. "Damn, I can't believe that actually worked! Didn't expect _you_ to fall for that." Rikuo snickered and jumped back when Itaku swung a kama at the leg pinning him down.

Grinning, impatient to resume, Rikuo bounced lightly in place, as Itaku climbed to his feet. Though he'd spent almost two hours in his yokai form with Kagome Monday afternoon, and then three hours en route to Tōno with Zen and roughly another three training before their break, Rikuo barely noticed the energy expenditure.

Once upright, Itaku spat blood on the ground and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm, and then regarded Rikuo with fleeting approval and a trace of appreciation. "You're on point this morning. What, you finally get laid?"

Although the thought of having Kagome in his bed brought a lazy smirk to his face, Rikuo didn't allow the kamaitachi's gibe to affect his reactions when Itaku's sickles whipped toward him, dodging with ease.

Instead, he fired back, "Resorting to taunts, are we? I must have the upper hand," and used his Fear to disappear again.

" _Tch_. So that's a no, then. She reject you or something?"

 _Hardly,_ Rikuo thought, fighting back a laugh that would reveal his location. _Sorry, Itaku, but trying to rile me up to distract me isn't going to work today._ An idea occurred to him suddenly, and he shimmered into view, holding his hand up to pause their training.

"What gives?" Itaku asked, skidding to a halt.

"So…I have a proposal for you…"

Itaku crossed his arms and said nothing, waiting.

"How about a wager? Whoever wins the majority of our sparring matches while I'm here wins a favor from the other person."

Itaku shrugged, but a hint of a smile appeared. "Are you so eager to be indebted to me?"

"I wouldn't be so quick to discount me if I were you, especially when there's something to be gained," Rikuo replied. _The ability to bring a certain miko with me here, specifically._

Itaku eyed him suspiciously. "You're up to something, aren't you? Just what is it you want?" He didn't wait for Rikuo to answer, darting forward to attack with renewed vigor.

Rikuo dodged a slash aimed for his throat. "Nope. Nuh-uh. Winner gets an unspecified favor at the time of their choosing." _And since I know Itaku will honor his word, he won't be able to weasel out of it when I want to bring Kagome._ Though the kamaitachi had mellowed some since Rikuo had first met him, he still wasn't convinced Itaku would be thrilled about a miko coming to Tōno. Of course, if it made her happy, Rikuo didn't give a rat's ass what Itaku thought.

Itaku scowled at him. "That dopey grin on your face tells me you're plotting something."

"Perhaps. But why does that even matter? Or are you convinced you can't win?" He laughed at Itaku's more colorful suggestions about what he could do with his "overconfident assumptions of victory."

 _Oh…but they're not just assumptions. I mean to win…and I will._

* * *

For Kagome, Tuesday morning dawned far less pleasant, having begun way too soon, as she'd unfortunately spent a significant portion of the night tossing and turning. Not due to nightmares, but some unspecified uneasiness, the source of which evaded her.

At first, she chalked it up to anxiety over her upcoming math test and even tried some late-night studying, hoping the dry material might make her drowsy. No such luck. The problem wasn't being sleepy—she was plenty tired, yet every time she lay down to go to sleep, she couldn't.

After several hours of alternating between snatches of restless sleep and scrutinizing the ceiling or shoving her head under her pillow, she left her bed in hopes the couch would be more soothing. In the past, she'd found previously elusive sleep by swapping locations. Instead, every lump and seam in the cushions of the sofa, every tick of the clock, every rustle and murmur from the streets outside served only to make her increasingly more edgy. At that point, she wondered if perhaps it was her independent study weighing on her mind and attempted to work on it. However, she had absolutely no ability to concentrate, likely from lack of sleep, though an errant, unwelcome thought postulated maybe it was because she wasn't as good at the subject as she claimed to be. Sure, she'd been the shikon miko and had experienced things that few—if any—other people had, but that didn't necessarily add up to being a yokai scholar.

 _Oh shut up. I know that. That's why I'm in school for it…to get more knowledgeable._

She sought comfort in a warm cup of tea following that, to no avail, and after one last-ditch effort to get some sleep, she gave up and took a long, leisurely hot bath.

As the diluted glow of sunrise crept into her apartment, she fixed herself breakfast and had just sat down to eat when her phone pinged, a text notification popping up.

 **Rikuo:** Morning, blue eyes. Good luck on your test today!

The edges of her lips lifted slightly, and she sent back a "thanks! and thanks again for the help! ^_^" She really did appreciate his help—she felt far more confident now, after the study session, than she usually did. Plus she'd enjoyed dinner together and his company. Not to mention their get-together had had other benefits as well…

 _I still can't believe he's a yokai! Hanyō. Whatever. And the Hyakki Yakō leader at that!_

Her stomach knotted and churned as guilt slithered through her at the memory of Rikuo's straightforward reply to her blurted-out question. _He_ 'd had no problems being honest…

A little voice helpfully supplied the rest: _But you, on the other hand, seem to have no trouble being deceitful._

"Okay, that's not fair!" Kagome said out loud to the intrusive little voice as she shoved back from the table, breakfast uneaten. "My situation is completely different. I mean, come on. Time travel? Legendary priestess? Cursed by an even more legendary sacred jewel? That's the stuff of fiction. No one, human or otherwise, easily buys into that."

 _Your friends in the past did._

"Yeah…because they had evidence of it right in front of their faces. Not like I can demonstrate that to anyone now."

Still…she hated how afraid she was to tell him. About her. Her past. Her friends.

Her friends… No matter how much time had passed, the heartache of being forgotten by those she'd held so dear gutted her. Sure, she wasn't nearly as hypersensitive as she'd been, the pain not as excruciatingly raw, but gods did it still _hurt_.

Sometimes the wishing, the wanting, the hoping to see them again—just once!—was overpowering. A huge chunk of her life had been ripped away, and while she didn't exactly regret her decision, at the time she also hadn't realized how unbelievably difficult coping with it would be. Not to mention the self-doubt. Could she have done something to prevent it? Bargained with the shikon no tama for a different arrangement? Or…the worst…was she so inconsequential, so unimportant that her friends forgot her so easily? Would Rikuo someday forget her too? Choose someone else over her? Perhaps she simply wasn't the kind of person who people fell in love with…

Kagome shook her head against that line of thinking. It was completely irrational, distorted, and served no purpose. She knew that. Yet, particularly when she was already feeling down, it was tough to banish those intrusive feelings. _A pity they can't be vanquished as readily as demons. I'd have it made._

The thoughts made her vulnerable to further negativity, and it became an endless cycle, with a feeling of hopelessness engulfing her. The anxiety that no matter what, in the future, she was doomed to be alone, for however long her new lifespan would be. _But that is your fate, isn't it? Can you say for certain that isn't the case?_

She didn't know why she was having such a rough start to her day, particularly not after Monday had been so pleasant, and it was under this confused, pessimistic dark cloud that Kagome made her way to campus. Her mom and Sōta texted her to wish her good luck on her math test—she'd complained about it when they'd had dinner Sunday. It lifted her spirits marginally, but she didn't have the energy to text back. Nor did she reply when Natsumi texted her several times, though she knew she'd catch hell later for it.

She completed her math test in record time, even with double-checking her work, and for a few moments before self-doubt crept back in, Kagome felt confident she had done well. Once she turned in the exam, she meandered across campus, heading for the quiet solace of the library, though she wasn't certain even that would cheer her up today. She had just reached the library entrance when a voice called her name. Kagome cringed.

 _Busted._

"Hey! Don't you even think about ignoring me in person, Higurashi Kagome."

She turned to face Natsumi, clasping her hands and shifting her weight from foot to foot in anticipation of the lecture to come. "Hi…"

Natsumi's eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth, presumably to fuss at Kagome, yet stopped. Kagome watched Natsumi's catlike gaze sweep over her, and her friend's expression softened. "Bad day?"

Kagome shrugged. "I guess? I don't know… Nothing 'bad' has happened, so—"

Natsumi cut her off. "You know as well as I do there's no logic to these things. Sometimes you wake up, and even though there's not anything especially 'wrong,' you just feel…off. Down."

Kagome swallowed hard and nodded.

"So, I'm hardly claiming I can make this funk magically disappear, but what I can do is skip my evening class and come hang out with you." She flung up a hand as Kagome started to object. "It won't hurt my grade one bit, and you need a friend. Besides…if memory serves me correctly…you owe me some details about a certain someone?" Natsumi said, her tone lightly teasing.

It had what she supposed was Natsumi's desired effect. Kagome smiled briefly and shook her head. "You're insufferable. But…okay."

Natsumi looped an arm around her waist, squeezing gently, and Kagome stiffened, leaning away reflexively. Natsumi immediately let her arm drop, unoffended and seeming to understand. "Remember what I used to tell you? Back when we were roommates? I wasn't lying, you know."

 _"You are not alone."_

The oppressive fog she had been lost in all day slowly began to dissipate, Natsumi's aura warming her like a fire on a chilly winter day. "I know…and thank you… It's just…ugh, hard to stop assuming no one understands how you feel…" Kagome said quietly.

"Wanna go somewhere more quiet? Maybe your apartment?" At Kagome's nod, they began heading in the direction of Kagome's apartment. "And I get that it's hard to stop assuming. Odds are pretty slim you'll find someone who understands _exactly_ how you feel. But that doesn't mean you won't find people who can sympathize and empathize." She seemed to anticipate Kagome's unspoken protest, hurrying to add, "And no, before you even think it, you're not a burden. To _anyone_. You've got people here to support you, _baka_."

"I know, I know." Kagome angled a glance at Natsumi, smiling when Natsumi looked back. "You sure accounting is the right profession for you? Seems to me you'd be a good counselor."

Natsumi waved a hand. "Nah, too stressful. And I doubt good counselors call their patients stupid," she said flippantly. "Besides, math's easy."

Kagome groaned. "Maybe for you…"

"Speaking of which…how'd the test go? Did studying with Rikuo-kun help?" Natsumi's tone was sly. _She would likely try to claim she's using it as a distraction to lift my mood…but I know a fishing attempt when I hear one. All the same…I can't say it's unappreciated._

"All right already. The studying helped, and the test went fine. Speaking of which, let me text my mom and Sōta back real quick. They texted me earlier…"

"When you were ignoring everyone?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You hush."

Kagome sent off short replies—and apologies for the delay in her response—and then sent one extra:

 **Kagome:** Thank you for the help yesterday! Pretty sure I passed.

A reply popped up shortly after.

 **Rikuo:** "Pretty sure"? Have more faith in me than that!

"Oh-ho! What's that little smile for?" Natsumi asked, peering over at Kagome's phone.

 _Shit! Busted again._ She tried to angle it away from Natsumi's view, but the smirk on her friend's face told her she'd been too slow. "Just being polite!"

"Uh-huh. Polite. Riiiiight."

Thinking of Rikuo reminded Kagome of a key detail from their conversation yesterday. "Hey!" Natsumi jolted at her outburst. "I've got a bone to pick with you."

"Me?"

Kagome stopped in her tracks, halting Natsumi's progress as well. Poking her friend in the shoulder, she said, "Yes, you. But…" She lingered on the word dramatically. "To take a page out of _your_ book, you'll have to wait till we get to my apartment to find out what it is."

"Kagome-chaaaaan…"

"Turn-about is fair play, ya know."

* * *

Fortunately the walk only took around fifteen minutes, because by the time they reached her apartment, Kagome wasn't certain she could handle Natsumi's persistent pleading to talk about it now. On the flip side, a twisted little part of her was thoroughly enjoying tormenting her friend…and it had lifted her mood quite a bit.

 _Maybe Rikuo was right… Maybe I am evil._ The thought brought with it an uncomfortable blend of remorse and amusement, with a dash of apprehension. _Ugh, stop. I'm going to tell him. I just have to figure out the best way…and find the right time…_

"Oh no, you don't," Natsumi burst out suddenly, drawing Kagome out of her guilt-ridden thoughts.

"Huh?"

"I know that look. You're considering backing out of whatever you wanted to talk about."

Kagome winced at how near to the truth Natsumi's observation came. "No, no, I promise. I won't back out." _Of talking to you, or to Rikuo_ , she thought, her resolve strengthening and in turn, mollifying her troubled conscience somewhat.

Natsumi gave a sharp nod of acknowledgment, and Kagome flopped onto the couch, expecting her friend to take her usual spot on the other end. However, instead of sitting down, Natsumi went to the kitchen and dug around in the cabinets, apparently finding what she was looking for after a moment. Kagome let her eyes close; she was used to Natsumi making herself at home.

A few minutes later, Natsumi nudged her and pressed something into her hands. Kagome opened her eyes and smiled gratefully. It was nothing more than a cup of ramen, but it was more than she'd had all day.

Natsumi sat down in her usual spot then, tucking her legs underneath her and giving Kagome a chance to eat before asking, "Well, what's this bone you have to pick with me?"

Kagome took a couple more bites and then set the empty cup down. "The other night…when we had dinner? You acted like you weren't sure, but you knew that not only does Rikuo believe in yokai, but he _is_ one!"

Natsumi's mouth fell open, and then she grabbed Kagome's hands and squealed, bouncing a little in her seat. "He finally told you?"

"Well…sort of…" _No, actually, my tactless ass blurted out the question._

Natsumi narrowed her eyes at Kagome. "What does that mean? Spill. And don't leave any details out."

She told Natsumi what had really happened when they met at the library, giving only a cursory explanation of her miko powers, and then what she'd learned recently. As she talked, perhaps _because_ she was able to discuss it, the aching tightness in her shoulders began to ease.

"Really? A miko, like a shrine priestess?" At Kagome's nod, Natsumi said excitedly, "Oh, that's so romantic! A forbidden love…"

"What on earth are you going on about?"

"It's like Saori-chan and I used to joke about Rikuo-kun and Yura-chan—forbidden love between an onmyoji and a yokai. Only better because you two actually have feelings for one another!"

Kagome groaned. "Hold your horses, Natsumi-chan. This isn't one of your romance novels or crazy matchmaking daydreams! Besides, I never said I had feelings for Rikuo."

Natsumi crossed her arms over her chest, unimpressed. "You really going to sit there and tell me that you don't feel _anything_ for him?"

"Well…I…" Kagome hedged.

"Okay, here's the deal." A spark of anger flashed in Natsumi's eyes, surprising Kagome. "You don't have feelings for Rikuo-kun, fine. But if that's the case, end it. Now. Don't jerk him around, okay? He is a _good_ guy, the _best_ —aside from Kuro, that is. I don't know what you've been through since you've never told me, which is fine, but he's been through some crap too. We all have, but Rikuo-kun more than any of us. You want someone who gets what it's like to have bad days? To have invisible scars? He would. Assuming you'd trust him enough to tell him. But if you don't intend on taking this seriously… It's not fair—"

Kagome waved her hands frantically. "Whoa, whoa, damn, Natsumi-chan, chill." Natsumi's cheeks pinked, and she looked away. "You took that the wrong way."

Natsumi whipped her head around. "So…" she prompted.

"I do," Kagome mumbled, studying her fingernails.

"You do what?" Natsumi asked stubbornly.

 _Damnit, is she really going to make me spell this out?_ "I…feel…something. I don't know what. Ever since I met him, I felt some kind of, I don't know, a connection of sorts." The tangled knot of overwhelming emotions relaxed with the admission, and with the revelation of how good it felt to actually admit it, Kagome stopped and slumped back into the sofa pillows, covering her face with her hand. "Oh holy hell, I'm going to wind up falling in love with him, aren't I?"

A snicker came from the other side of the couch. "If I have anything to say about it…"

Without removing her hand or sitting up, Kagome tossed a pillow at her friend. A muffled squawk told her she'd hit the mark.

"Kagome-chan." Natsumi's tone was serious now. "I know I don't have to say it, but I'm going to. I'm always here, if you ever want to talk…about whatever happened to you," she said softly.

Kagome swallowed hard. Feigning confusion, she said, "I don't know what you mean."

A hand grasped hers, prying it away from her face, and she opened her eyes to Natsumi's too-close face peering into hers. Kagome playfully pushed her back and sat up.

Natsumi regarded her and let out a long sigh. "When I was thirteen, I nearly died. A group of yokai from Shikoku came to defeat the Nuragumi, and one of them—called Sodemogi-sama—cursed me. Had it not been for Kurotabō, and Senba-sama, I would have died." Natsumi told Kagome about Tamazuki and his Shikoku yokai, Sodemogi-sama, and what happened to her, and to the Nura clan during that time.

"Natsumi-chan…"

Natsumi lifted her hand, cutting her off. "Not too long after that, I stumbled upon something, no, some _one_ I shouldn't have, was held captive by a yokai, who used me…my likeness, or essence, I don't know…to bring to life a sort of yokai doppelgänger." Her face was deathly pale, but her voice remained steady as she explained the urban legend of the girl at the subway station, and how she was trapped, but that yokai copy version of Natsumi was appearing on the subway, luring away and killing those unfortunate enough to encounter her, and how it had almost gotten Saori killed, too. "It was like a really sick, twisted riddle. The victims the subway girl kidnapped had to find 'the lost me' within forty-four seconds, or—" She took a deep breath. "Anyway…it would've succeeded if, again, it hadn't been for Kurotabō."

Pieces of the puzzle began to fit together. "Is that why you don't use the subway?" Kagome asked.

Natsumi pursed her lips. "Partly. But not completely. That…" Now her voice wavered, and she dropped her head. "That's a different story. I think I should let Rikuo-kun tell you about that…it's too complicated for me to only explain my part, and the larger part involves him. Suffice it to say…at Shibuya station, the same yokai who used me to create the subway girl turned me into a yokai—"

"He _what?_ Turned you into a yokai?" Kagome interrupted. _Damn, that's some Naraku-level shit. No wonder she was so understanding when I had nightmares in college…_

A tiny head bob confirmed it. "That time, it was Rikuo-kun who rescued me. In spite of insane circumstances and overwhelming odds, but not without cost," Natsumi whispered. Then she brought her head up and met Kagome's gaze, her catlike one fierce. "The reason I'm telling you this is because I trust you. Because you're my friend. Because I _can_ now. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. Believe me, Kagome-chan. I get how hard it is to live a double life…to have to hide things that no one else understands or comprehends. Does Sōta-kun or Mitsu-basan know about yokai? About your miko powers?" At Kagome's nod, she gave a bitter laugh. "Must be nice. My parents don't know about yokai. Or about Kuro not being human. And there's no way I can tell them."

Fresh guilt slammed into Kagome, as forcefully as if someone had dropped a cartoon anvil on her. "Natsumi-chan, I…"

Natsumi shook her head. "Don't. It isn't your fault, and I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad. But I want you to understand…when I say you're not alone, I mean it. And no one gets it more than Rikuo-kun." She sighed and then smiled. "Listen. I know I'm sentimental and meddle sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Kagome yelped.

"Okay, maybe more than sometimes," Natsumi amended. "But what I'm doing a crappy job of trying to say is…don't be afraid to love, to let yourself _be_ loved, no matter who it is. I'm not trying to force you to love Rikuo-kun. It doesn't have to be him. You deserve to be loved. You _are_ worthy."

Kagome blinked rapidly and stared down at her hands, twisting the hem of her shirt. "I… I was fifteen. And…" She hated herself for lying, hated the guilt that churned her gut at doing it again and again, but she couldn't quite bring herself to tackle that enormously difficult subject of time traveling to the Sengoku era. Not yet, anyway. "And I was…um…hiking a long way from here with some…friends…and I was attacked by a yokai, a centipede yokai, and that's when my spiritual powers made themselves known."

 _What a piss-poor substitution for the truth…_ a nasty little voice criticized from the back of her mind. She ignored it.

Natsumi sat silently, listening, as Kagome spun a short tale about how one of these out-of-town friends was a hanyō and, among other things, how they'd destroyed a cursed object, and that it had cursed her.

"And the curse?" Natsumi asked softly.

Again, feeling pathetic, she crafted a vague story resembling the truth. "They…they lost all their memories of me. And supposedly I'll now live as long as a yokai does. And outlive all my friends and family." More than she had told Ryūji, but then, unlike Ryūji, she trusted Natsumi didn't have any ulterior motives for asking about her curse.

For long minutes, neither woman spoke, each lost in her own memories. For Kagome, it was an agonizing amalgam of reminiscence and remorse, the lies and half-truths she had just told sickening her, yet at the same time feeling a sense of relief from discussing it. She rubbed the heel of her palm against her chest, against the dull ache there, which currently she was uncertain if it was the product of her curse or of anxiety.

She brought it on herself, really. She was simultaneously lingering in the past, dwelling on the loss of her friends and the curse she bore, yet continuing to push against the past, fighting the way it had affected her, shaped her into who she was today. If she could just accept it, this new normal, and move forward.

Easier said than done, of course. Adjusting to change was anxiety-inducing, she knew that, even when the change was a _good_ thing. All of it—most of all the evasions and falsehoods—was exhausting.

 _Just until I tell Rikuo. Then I can tell Natsumi. Probably. Depending on how he reacts…_

Eventually, as the sun was beginning to set and the natural light waning, Natsumi reached over and turned on a lamp, and then broke their silence, asking, "About the curse… They lost _all_ their memories?" At Kagome's nod, she leaned in and wrapped her arms around her friend. Kagome didn't pull away, instead appreciating the physical reassurance that she wasn't alone. "I'm so sorry, Kagome-chan. So, so sorry. Can you break it?"

 _Unlikely, considering where it came from._ "Dunno. Probably not."

Natsumi pulled back and studied her face. "Have you told Rikuo-kun?"

Razor-sharp guilt tore into her gut. "Um…no. We…didn't really have time yesterday, and then he left for Tōno…" _Evade, evade, evade._

Natsumi nodded. "Well, I'm not going to tell you what to do…but you should seriously consider telling him. If nothing else, he'll understand what it's like to have a curse."

"Oh?" Kagome's curiosity was piqued.

Natsumi grinned slowly, slyly. "Not my story to tell."

"You. Are. Impossible," Kagome groaned. _But it's nice to have the reassurance that she thinks he'll understand… I wonder if Ryūji told Rikuo about it…or what he knows of it at least._

"You know you love me!" Natsumi said cheerfully. "So…speaking of—"

"Yokai!" Kagome broke in. She'd been dying to know more ever since last night. "What kind of yokai is Kurotabō?"

Natsumi tapped her lips thoughtfully. "Hmm…supposedly he is the assassin monk, but also a yokai who protects children."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Wait, as in…" She leapt up and grabbed one of her books, thumbing through the aging, yellowed pages till she found it. Then she held the book out, open, so Natsumi could see the image on the page. "This?" It was an illustration of a dark-haired yokai wearing black Buddhist priest–esque robes and a conical straw hat, and holding a _shakujō_.

Natsumi's face lit up. "Yep! Wow, where did you find this? I can't believe Kuro's in this!"

"I got it from that used bookstore, you know the one I've taken you to before?" She shrugged. _Who cares about the book?! No wonder he reminded me of Miroku!_

"Can I borrow it? Just for a day or two—I want to show Kuro." Natsumi grinned.

Kagome winced. Despite the unlikely odds of having found it at a used bookstore, it was a fairly rare, out-of-print book. "Umm…I…"

Natsumi rolled her eyes. "We're not going to hurt your book, Kagome-chan. I promise I'll take good care of it. As will Kuro—he's a yokai, not a barbarian."

Kagome couldn't help but laugh at that. "Oh, all right, then. So, back to the topic of yokai…are there really one hundred yokai in Rikuo's night parade?"

"Sheesh, Kagome-chan, I don't know! I am not the right person to answer that question."

"Ugh, fine. What other kind of yokai in the Nura clan _do_ you know about?"

Natsumi burst out laughing. "I swear, you're nearly as bad as Kiyotsugu-kun. I should give you his email address. Okay, well, you know about Rikuo-kun and Kuro, and I assume you know about Momo and Miki… There's Tsurara-chan—she's a yuki onna—and Kappa, who should be self-evident, and Aotabō, who's kind of like Kuro, but not quite… You should get Kuro to explain… And hmm… Oh! There's Kejōrō, you remember Kejōrō, right? When you got Apollo, she drove us to the shrine and then here?"

"Yeah, the pretty one who Rikuo seemed rather familiar with," Kagome said, trying to keep the jealousy out of her tone and failing.

"What's this? The green-eyed monster creeping out? Silly, you've nothing to worry about. She's got someone, and besides, she and Rikuo-kun aren't interested in each other that way." Natsumi hesitated, slanting her gaze over to Kagome. " _Ne_ , Kagome-chan…speaking of Rikuo-kun…"

"That was _not_ a subtle segue, Natsumi-chan…"

"Have you texted him back?"

Kagome cocked her head in confusion. "Huh?"

Natsumi huffed, exasperated. "He replied to your text about the test, remember?"

 _Oh,_ kami _, where is she going with this?_ "And?"

"You have zero right to call me impossible, you know. The 'and' is that you left him hanging—he told you to have more faith in him and you sent nothing… That was hours ago!"

Kagome folded her arms across her chest. "Seriously? Come on, that guy is not going to lose any sleep, figuratively speaking of course, over me not replying."

Natsumi raised an eyebrow. "You so sure about that? Besides, answer me this. If," she said, stressing the word, "Rikuo-kun hadn't gone to Tōno, what would you be doing right now—hanging out with me, or him?"

Kagome felt her face heat, and she averted her eyes.

"Uh-huh. My thoughts exactly. Dang, Kagome-chan, just text him and tell him you miss him already."

"What?" Her voice came out as little more than a squeak, and she cleared her throat. "Who said anything about missing him?"

Natsumi gestured dismissively. "Okay, so text something different. My point is…text him!"

"Can't believe I'm letting you talk me into this…" Kagome grumbled under her breath as she retrieved her cell phone. The truth was she _did_ want to text him, but she sure as hell wasn't going to tell that to the world's most inquisitive wannabe cupid.

Now the question was…what to say?

 **Kagome:** Hi

"You did not just text him 'hi'!" Natsumi wailed, grabbing at the phone unsuccessfully. "Kagome-chan…you are terrible at this."

There was no response for several minutes, and Natsumi prodded Kagome in the arm insistently. "See? He doesn't even know how to respond. Good grief, who just texts 'hi' and nothing else?"

"Me apparently," Kagome said dryly. "Did you consider maybe he's busy?"

"Hmph."

 _At least I hope that's why he's not replying. But…what if she's right? No, no, it's fine._

A second later, her phone chimed, and her heart rate kicked up as she looked down. Natsumi peeked over her shoulder, disregarding the frown Kagome directed at her.

 **Rikuo:** Hey blue eyes. What's up?

"Blue eyes?" A Cheshire-cat smile spread across Natsumi's face. _Oh fucking hell,_ Kagome thought. _Just great._ "What's that about, hmmmm?"

"I don't know. It probably doesn't mean anything," Kagome said. Truthfully, she didn't know if it meant anything.

"Pfffftt. Please. It means something all right, are you kidding me? Anyway, I'll let you off the hook for now, text him back!"

"Sheesh, will you chill out? I'm trying not to look desperate here!"

"Well, _I_ am desperate!"

"Then _you_ text him!" Kagome snapped, though her tone held no real anger.

Natsumi raised her hands in surrender, giggling.

 **Kagome:** I'm being held captive by our mutual friend the matchmaker. send help.

"Hey!"

"You hush. It's true, and you know it."

A second later, his reply came.

 **Rikuo:** Yikes. My condolences. Pretty sure that's beyond even *my* capabilities. Is it dire? Need Kuro's number?

"Know what? You two are perfect for one another. You're both jerks," Natsumi said, pouting.

 **Kagome:** full disclosure, she knows what's being said. And she just called us both jerks  
 **Rikuo:** I mean, Natsumi is awesome and the coolest person I know

"Nice try, buddy, but you're not digging out of this one so easily."

 **Kagome:** no dice. she's on to us.  
 **Rikuo:** so how would you feel if I didn't come back from Tōno?

"Chicken…" Natsumi said it in a lilting sing-song as she pulled out her own phone. _Now just who is she texting? Surely she's not going to text Rikuo herself._ Kagome wouldn't put it past her.

 **Kagome:** she called you a chicken. And tbh I didn't expect the Kanto yokai supreme commander to be a coward…

"Kagome-chan!" Natsumi laughed. "That's not very nice!"

Kagome scoffed. "Says the person who called him a chicken? _And_ a jerk?"

It took a few moments, but then her phone pinged.

 **Rikuo:** oi… that's the way of it then, is it? Remember, you're not the one who has to live under the same roof as her  
 **Rikuo:** still…there's no way I'd stay here. Natsumi's meddling is a small price to pay if it means I get to see you

The air left her lungs in a rush. _Does…does that mean_ he _misses_ me _? Nahhh…_ Something told her, though, that he hadn't been teasing.

Natsumi let out an ear-piercing squeal. "That's the sweetest thing ever! Oh, he is so head over heels for you."

Kagome rubbed her ears exaggeratedly. "Pretty sure that noise you just made could kill small woodland creatures. Forget what I said about you being a counselor. You should become one of those old-school professional matchmakers. Might as well get paid for what you're already doing."

"Hmph. I can't help it if I'm a romantic," Natsumi said petulantly.

"A menace is what you are…" Kagome shot her a sidelong glance. "And you know what else? I think Natsumi-voyeur-time is over."

 **Kagome:** brb shooing the matchmaker out the door

"Hey! You should be appreciative of this so-called meddlesome matchmaker!"

Kagome stood and then pulled her friend up off the couch and into a hug. "You betcha. More thankful than you could know, you pain in my ass. Thanks for being my friend, even when I'm being a terrible one."

Natsumi squeezed her tightly. "You aren't terrible, okay? Just in a rough spot…and that doesn't make you a bad person, or friend. Anyway, I texted Kuro a few minutes ago, and he's going to meet me at the 7-eleven around the corner."

"Ah-ha, so that's who you were texting."

"You thought I was up to something suspicious, didn't you?" Natsumi tried to look stern, but wound up grinning sheepishly. "Okay, so maybe I thought you'd like to have some privacy with Rikuo-kun." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, and Kagome snorted.

 _She's ridiculous. And exactly what I needed today._

"I am not taking that bait."

"Oh, well, worth a try! Have fun texting Rikuo-kun and don't worry—he'll be home before you know it." She paused halfway out the door, angling her body to look back at Kagome. "Call or text if you need anything, 'kay? No matter what time it is." With that, she left, shutting the door behind her.

Kagome's confession to Natsumi, as highly fabricated as much of it had been, combined with her strengthened resolve to tell Rikuo about her past went a long way in relieving the guilt and anxiety that had been suffocating her for days, brightening her mood considerably. It wasn't perfect, but then…things didn't always have to be perfect, she reminded herself. Sometimes good enough was okay.

A soft smile curving her lips, she locked her front door and headed back to the sofa, snatching her phone off the floor. She saw that Ryūji had texted her, and not wishing to ruin her good mood by engaging with the ill-tempered onmyoji, she elected to ignore him. _I'll text him tomorrow._ _Or not._

Rikuo, on the other hand, she was more than happy to answer.

 **Kagome:** the matchmaker has left the building. So…how's Tōno?

* * *

Ryūji caught himself in time and managed not to slam the hotel room door behind him. The last thing he needed was Yura to have another reason to bitch if he somehow damaged the door and Keikain got billed for it.

Today had been exhausting in a multitude of ways, but it had been exceptionally draining to his patience, not that he had copious amounts to begin with. He'd gone to see some family members of victims that he and Rikuo had flagged as possibly connected to whatever this was, hoping he could glean something of value from an in-person interview.

It had been one waste of time after another, culminating in a grieving father who'd called him an opportunistic charlatan and threatened him with bodily harm.

Ryūji sighed heavily. _Damnit, this is why I let Yura handle shit like this. I hate this touchy-feely, delicate emotional bullshit._

In response to the man's accusation, he had attempted to smile, likely managing a grimace at best, and apologized, explaining that he occasionally did consulting work for the Tokyo PD and would not ask for nor accept money from him. Then he'd handed the man his business card, which was summarily turned into confetti and flung in his face.

 _And this is why I fucking hate people._

He tossed his cloak on a chair and collapsed on the bed. Glancing at his phone, he saw that Kagome had yet to respond to his text, a snarkily phrased inquiry about when they were going to continue their discussion from the coffee shop and when she was going to tell him the truth about her so-called curse.

He knew that realistically he should just let it go, and he felt the tiniest smidgen of guilt about nosing around in her life when he really had no cause to. But there was something so _off_ about the whole damn thing. She was a puzzle. And Ryūji hated when puzzles went unsolved.

He flung an arm over his face, debating whether he should just lay there and try to sleep, or if he should make himself get up and go get some food.

 _There is that ramen cart a few blocks over in Ukiyoe Town. Guy looks like a bit of a delinquent, but he makes good ramen…_

His cell phone ringing drew him out of his thoughts, and he was surprised at the name that popped up. Yanagi Haruka, a local EMT he'd known for years.

He grinned, answering with, "Been a while, Haru-hime." His long-standing nickname for her, a nickname she _hated_.

"Sure has, shorty. Can't say I missed you."

" _Tch_. Likewise." Haruka took exquisite pleasure in ribbing him about his height. It was one of the reasons he persisted in calling her princess. "You call for some reason other than to make snide remarks?"

"Yeah, love you too, my chibi onmyoji." He ground his teeth as she snickered. "Anyway. Don't have long to chat, but something came up I thought you'd be interested in." There was a pause, like she was thinking. _Or smoking._

"About?"

An audible exhale. _Smoking_. "Well, you know how the universe likes to hand me the weird ones. Long story short, me an' Kei got a call earlier today, we get there, and the damn kid's claiming he's a vampire."

He jolted. Fucking vampires, _again_? Probably a coincidence, or even Haruka screwing with him. "Vampires? Please… You sneaking booze on the job now, princess?"

"Shut up, Ryūji. Of all people, am _I_ going to bullshit you, about something like this?"

She had a point. Despite their sniping back and forth, he and Haruka got along quite well. The EMT had low-level psychic abilities, and they'd met years ago when she was still living in Kyoto. She had come to the Keikain for a bit of rudimentary training, but she hadn't had an interest in much beyond the basics, mainly protecting herself. Still, her brusque, devil-may-care attitude had endeared her to Ryūji—not that he'd tell _her_ that.

 _She's probably already aware, knowing her…_

"Oi, earth to Ryūji. I don't have time for your daydreaming. Aw, shit, hang on." He heard muffled voices, unable to decipher what they were saying, but her loud sigh made it clear enough when she came back on the line. "Gotta run. My week is nuts till Sunday, but I can come see you then and give you full details in person. That work for you?"

"Yeah, of course, princess. I live to serve."

Her gravelly laugh met his ears. "Hah! All right, see ya soon, shrimp. Stay safe."

As he hung up, he noticed an email notification. _From Masatsugu?_ He tapped it and skimmed the email quickly.

 _"Ryūji, per Yura's instructions, I have mailed you the materials you requested. However, as I am well aware that your vindictive streak is far wider than hers, I am attaching all but the materials that were not available digitally—that's in the mail. It would be most appreciated if this went unmentioned to Yura."_

Unadulterated satisfaction at being able to indulge his curiosity flowed through him, erasing his earlier trace of guilt from his conscience.

Perhaps today wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

 **Author's Note(s):**

 **1.** So, there may be some people who don't like the way Kagome was portrayed in this chapter. But here's the thing—Kagome has issues from what happened to her. To be quite frank, most anime characters (since they all seem to go through some kind of serious trauma, physical or otherwise), especially teens/young adults, would be affected in some way. Realistically, from just _canon_ events, there would have been some impact on Kagome's mental health. In this story's universe, mental health-wise, Kagome is facing at minimum some anxiety and depression on top of _years_ of avoidance and attempting to be numb. Is this the _primary_ focus of this story? No. Is it something I'm just going to ignore and omit? Also no. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Take from this what you will.

 **2.** Just for grins, and because this is my sandbox and I can, I included a nod to a lovable character from another series. Not significant at all, just totally self-indulgent. If you spot it, kudos. You're awesome :-)

 **3.** Completely unrelated to this story, minus the use of a quote from one of her books, I recently read the Witchlands books by Susan Dennard, and y'all, I cannot recommend them enough (start with _Truthwitch_ ). I need to get her other series. I'm pretty much a shameless fangirl at this point.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I cannot tell you how much it means to me.


	18. Chapter 17

I can't tell y'all how much your kind words and comments about chapter 16 meant to me! Y'all are awesome. :-)

No quotes this chapter, so without further ado, chapter 17. Enjoy!

* * *

And so Wednesday and Thursday passed by swiftly.

Kagome and Rikuo texted frequently, talking about almost anything. He learned about her family, and she more about the Nura clan and some of the things in his past. Rikuo hadn't brought up the incident at Shibuya station that Natsumi had mentioned, though, and Kagome wasn't going to pry. She hardly had any right to pry into his past when she had yet to disclose hers. Rikuo had also encouraged her, once it was old enough, to consider adopting the little Siamese kitten he'd noticed she was partial to. Then, Thursday night on a whim, he'd called her, wanting to hear her voice, and she had been surprised by how happy she had felt hearing his.

Natsumi had also texted her regularly, seeing how she was doing, with lots of heart emojis, and sending quick self-care reminders that made Kagome smile, like "have you eaten?" or "Don't forget to hydrate!" Although still feeling rather guilty about lying to Natsumi, Kagome was grateful she had such a good friend, one who apparently understood the situation more than she'd given Natsumi credit for. She definitely owed her one. Or more than one.

In addition to getting the go-ahead from her professor and making substantial headway on her independent study, Kagome also committed herself to telling Rikuo the truth when he returned from Tōno. Her anxiety had not abated entirely, but his laid-back and easy-to-talk-to manner, combined with his respect for her boundaries—she was positive that he knew she was hiding something—was encouraging. Perhaps even if he didn't believe the story right away, he would still hear her out without dismissing it outright.

Ryūji, for his part, wound up being further baffled—and frustrated—by Kagome after going through all the materials he'd received. There were names and references _he_ had never come across prior to this, and he had no clue how _she_ would have been aware of them, unless they were in some Higurashi ancestral records. But a visit to the shrine proved only more vexing, since all his inquiries were stonewalled by a young man he presumed to be Kagome's brother. A miniscule piece of him, though, was sympathetic to the kid. He might not always show it in the best way, but he was overprotective of Yura too.

In terms of his and Rikuo's investigation, he wasn't in much better shape. Interviewing family members had given scant usable information, and so far nothing had really turned up online either. There was also the matter Haruka had mentioned, but, to the detriment of his patience, Ryūji had to wait until Sunday to hear about that. Assuming it would even be of any use at all.

In Tōno, Rikuo heard from Awashima about some rumors of a possible black market in Miyagi, one run by yokai, for yokai who had particular _preferences_ not permissible to those in the Nura clan. Such as hunting humans, and ikigumo. The Tōno yokai had not turned up anything concrete though, so no one could verify if there was any truth to the rumors.

He and Itaku also sparred nearly constantly, but much to Itaku's dismay, in the wee hours of Friday morning, Rikuo won the tie-breaking match. They were both so exhausted that Zen took the opportunity to drag them inside to get some rest, griping about how he didn't have the energy to heal their stupid asses if they pushed it too far and grievously injured one another during their training. Then the ornery bird yokai succumbed a coughing fit, and Itaku and Rikuo ended up being the ones taking Zen into his guest room to rest.

Somehow, thanks to Reira perhaps, Rikuo managed to find his way to his own guest room, falling face first into bed, his final thoughts before passing out of Kagome and bringing her to Tōno with him.

* * *

 ** _Friday morning_**

"Kagome-chaaannnnn!"

As she exited her first class, the loud squeal echoed in the corridor, making her jump. She hadn't seen the person since the first semester of her college freshman year, but she knew that nasally voice all too well, having endured it all throughout high school.

She steeled herself and turned around to face Rika, who was accompanied by Eri. "Hi, Rika-chan, Eri-chan."

Rika had changed little, her ebony hair still well past her shoulders with sideswept bangs that mostly covered one eye. Eri, on the other hand, had grown her bangs out and dyed her hair a rich chestnut brown.

They both grabbed her and hugged her. "How are you? I'm so happy to see you," Eri said, clasping Kagome's hand and squeezing it enthusiastically.

"Fine. It's, um, good to see you two, too. You…changed your hair," Kagome said awkwardly, and tried to extract her hand from Eri's.

"Eh? Oh, yeah, I did it a couple months ago. Like it?" Eri released Kagome's hand to twirl her hair.

Before Kagome could answer, Rika chimed in, "Isn't it pretty? I think it suits her."

"Very pretty—"

Rika looked over Kagome's shoulder and smiled broadly, calling, "Yoohooo! Natsumi-chan!"

A moment later, Natsumi had joined them, and the three girls chatted animatedly while Kagome zoned out, nodding and saying "uh-huh" without really listening. Sure, she'd been friends with Eri throughout junior high and high school, but they'd drifted apart, and she'd never been especially close to Rika. They'd been in the same friend group in high school, but she and Kagome hadn't developed anything beyond a superficial relationship. _Of course, back then, you were basically numb and pulled away from everyone… A habit you've maintained for quite some time now…_

Kagome considered how that was changing, thanks in no small part to Rikuo and Natsumi, when something Eri said caught her attention.

"—girls' night! Since we moved to Kyoto, we haven't seen either of you in _forever_ , and we totally need to catch up while we're in town!"

"Ooo, that's a fantastic idea! I heard about a new bar that opened up a couple weeks ago that supposedly has really good cocktails. What if we go there tomorrow night?" Rika asked.

Natsumi shrugged. "I'm game. You in, Kagome-chan?"

Three pairs of eyes stared her down. " _Anou_ …" she began, racking her brain for an excuse, any excuse.

Rika squinted at her. "Don't tell me you're sick again. C'mon, you seem perfectly healthy to me. What's one night out?"

"Yeah, and we're only in town for a few days. Kagome-chan, please?" Eri whined.

Behind them, Natsumi gestured that she should smile and nod. It took everything Kagome had not to roll her eyes. Sighing in resignation—she _did_ owe Natsumi after how kind she'd been—Kagome said, "Sure, I'll go." _How bad can it be? At least Natsumi will be there._

Eri clapped her hands excitedly. "Yay! Meet you girls there around, say, ten?" Natsumi and Kagome nodded.

"Perfect. We've got to run, but we'll see you tomorrow!" Rika said, waving as she and Eri walked off.

Natsumi turned to Kagome, a small smile appearing. "I know they make you nuts, but they mean well." At Kagome's skeptical expression, she amended, "Okay, Eri means well. Rika… All right, Rika is mainly in it for the gossip and the booze. But come on, Rikuo-kun's still in Tōno, and it's not like we really need the guys to have fun anyway."

Kagome side-eyed Natsumi. "Oh? And what would Kurotabō-san think if he heard you say that?"

She snorted. "Kuro would get over it. Please? It won't be bad, you'll have fun—plus when was the last time you had a girls' night out?"

"Hmm…" Kagome bit her lip, thinking. "Maybe…two or three years ago?" Natsumi started laughing. "Hey, why is that funny?"

Looping her arm through Kagome's, Natsumi started walking toward Kagome's next class. "Years? What am I going to do with you, Kagome-chan?" she asked, shaking her head and still giggling.

Kagome couldn't help a grin. _Good question. I don't even know what to do with me half the time_ , she thought wryly.

* * *

After her second class, Kagome planned to dash home and change for work at the cat sanctuary. But as she turned the corner in the direction of her apartment, seemingly out of nowhere, a hand suddenly gripped her arm.

"You can't avoid me forever, _onna_."

"Kyah!" Her heart leapt into her throat, and her reiki popped reflexively as she whirled on whoever the hell had a hold of her.

"You." _First Rika and Eri, now Ryūji? What did I do to piss off the universe today?_ Kagome jerked her arm away. "It's rude to sneak up on people."

Ryūji frowned. "Did I really surprise you?"

"Of course you did! You just randomly popped up and grabbed me."

"You didn't sense me?" His gray eyes bored into hers.

 _Sheesh, he is such an ass._ "No, I didn't. Not that I was trying. And yes, I already know you're going to tell me how pathetic I am, so don't bother."

" _Tch_. I was going to say wasted potential or poorly disciplined, but if you'd prefer pathetic…" He shrugged, smirking.

"Did you seriously come all the way to campus to insult me? You could have just called or texted and saved yourself a trip," Kagome said acidly as she walked away.

To her annoyance, Ryūji followed. "You never replied to my text."

"Imagine that."

He continued walking with her, and near the edge of campus, her curiosity—or perhaps pride—finally got the better of her. "Why wasted potential or poorly disciplined?" She glanced over to see his smirk widen.

"I can tell you…" _Here it comes…_ "For a price."

"Wow, real original. Look, I already told you about my curse. Let it go."

He was quiet for a moment, and Kagome almost dared to hope he was going to drop the issue. Instead, he said, "The shikon miko."

Kagome nearly tripped over her own feet, coming to a halt. A cold sweat broke out over her skin, and her heart rate spiked. By some miracle, she was able to keep her voice steady. "What did you say?"

Ryūji cocked his head to the side, lifting an eyebrow, and gazed at her for a moment before he repeated, "The shikon miko—who is she to you?"

The vise gripping her chest tightened further, and Kagome licked her lips. Everything in her screamed to run, to get the hell away from the nosy onmyoji. However, that would likely only make him _more_ suspicious, so she tamped down on her desire to flee and stood her ground. "Why? Does it matter?"

"Technically it doesn't, except I can't figure out how you know some of the names you do, like Kikyō and that inu-yokai, Sesshōmaru."

 _How does he know about that?_ _Wait a minute…_ "Are you spying on me?" she demanded, fisting her hands on her hips.

"I'm a Keikain onmyoji. I have the right to know what part of our archives you've been poking around in."

"Wow. You lot really are something else." She flung her hands up and stalked off, not the least bit surprised when, again, Ryūji followed.

After a couple minutes, he spoke as if to himself, though she knew he was fishing for her to respond. "The only thing I can think of is that your shrine must have some secret historical records. So my guess is that if your shrine supposedly housed the sacred jewel at one point and supposedly was home to the shikon miko, then your ancestors must have believed Kikyō was the shikon miko."

Kagome's racing heart began to slow down. _Whew. For a second there, I thought he'd figured it out…_

Ryūji continued, "And if that's the case, then you must believe yourself descended from her. Is that it? You think you're a descendant of the shikon miko?"

A relieved laugh burst from her, and he grinned smugly. "I'm right, aren't I?"

 _No, but I'm oh so happy to let you think you are…_

She paused at an intersection, waiting for the light to change. "Yup, you nailed it. Congrats. Now, will you please go away?"

Ryūji's eyebrows furrowed. "But that doesn't explain Sesshōmaru or the hōshi or taijiya…"

 _Shit._ Trying to buy time, she deflected. "Nope. I answered your question—fair's fair, so you have to answer mine."

"You lack proper training. To begin with, you should have sensed me earlier," he said bluntly.

 _That's not true!_ "Wrong. I've had training. And what the hell do you mean by 'to begin with'?!"

Ryūji rolled his eyes. "You asked. I answered. Not my fault you don't like being told that your potential's being wasted."

As the light changed, she strode across the intersection, not bothering to see if Ryūji was with her. She wouldn't lose him so easily. _Unfortunately._ "Well, if you're so perfect, onmyoji-sama, why don't _you_ train me?"

She'd said it as a joke, but when she glanced over at him, to her horror, he seemed to actively be considering it. _Oh holy hell…_

"Hmm…that could actually prove to be entertaining…" Ryūji wore an eerie smile that sent a chill skittering down her spine.

"Um…" A nervous giggle. "You know I was joking, right?" _He's not serious, is he?_ _If so, he must have some ulterior motive…_

He made a noncommittal noise. Then, "So…the others? The hōshi and taijiya, et cetera?"

Kagome latched on to something he had said earlier, using it to craft what would hopefully be a believable explanation. "Not that it's any of your business, but since you've made it abundantly clear you're not going to let it go… You were right about my…um…ancestors and the shrine having old historical records. Since they, um, believed Kikyō was the shikon miko, they kept information about those who allegedly traveled with her and helped her destroy the sacred jewel. They claimed that among those were a hōshi and taijiya, as well as a couple yokai. So not only was it for my research for school, but I was also, um, looking to validate my family records."

 _Please let him buy into that…_ She mentally crossed her fingers and toes.

"Hmm…interesting that Keikain has never heard of this before."

"Well, newsflash, buddy. Contrary to the massive ego trip the entire Keikain organization seems to be on, you onmyoji aren't the be-all and end-all of folklore and yokai information."

They had reached her apartment complex by then, and to her surprise, rather than arguing with her further, Ryūji smiled. Well, sort of. Truthfully, it looked more like a sneer crossed with a grimace. "I'd be quite interested in seeing these ancestral records of yours."

 _Shit shit shit._ "I'll have to ask my grandfather. But he probably won't want someone outside the family handling them." _Yeah, right. If we_ did _have something like that,_ jii-chan _would share it with anyone who would listen…_

"Oh? Can't say I understand why your family would be so damned secretive about something so harmless. And I'm still not convinced you've told me everything about this curse of yours…" He shrugged. "Text me once you've talked to him."

 _Nice going, Kagome. Way to dig yourself in deeper._ "Um…sure. So…about that training? Why would you want to train me?" _He's not the most pleasant person to be around, but he's clearly knowledgeable, so it might be helpful in the long run._

Ryūji's trademark smirk dropped back into place. "What, did you really think I would? _Tch_. I don't have time for that—I've got an investigation to conduct. Oh, speaking of which, tell that useless boyfriend of yours that whenever he decides to quit gallivanting around and actually do some damn work, I'd like the three of us to get together to discuss the case."

"He's not my—"

"Save it for someone who'll believe it, miko." With that, he walked off, leaving Kagome to grind her teeth in frustration and wonder if Ryūji even knew her name. _Note to self—tell the pompous bastard that I have a fucking name the next time I see him…_

* * *

Friday afternoon at work was slow, which Kagome appreciated after her two unsolicited encounters earlier in the day. While Kagome worked on some class reading behind the front desk, Momo was hanging delicate blown-glass light catchers in the reception area window. Apparently, an artist friend of hers had donated them to bring revenue to the cat sanctuary, and they figured so long as they were out of the reach of the cats, it wouldn't be an issue. Plus Momo and Miki agreed the cats would probably enjoy chasing the colorful patterns from the sun shining through the light catchers.

Suddenly, Kagome heard a crash, one that sounded suspiciously like shattering glass, followed by "oh shoot," and a hiss of pain. Looking up from her textbook, she saw Momo cradling her right hand in her left, tiny drips of blood trickling over her skin.

Without even a second thought, Kagome quickly leaped up and ran over. "Are you okay? Here, let me help!" Before Momo could respond, Kagome had her hand over Momo's, concentrating on her reiki to heal the cut.

Momo flinched. "Um…Kagome-san…not to be rude, but what are you doing?"

"Trying to heal it for you." For some reason, however, the wound wasn't healing. _Why isn't it working?_

The door from the back slammed shut, and Kagome heard footsteps approach, but she remained focused on what she was doing.

"Hey, miko sparkles, knock it off."

At same time Miki spoke, the realization hit Kagome, the faint pink glow in her hands winking out. _Idiot, what were you thinking? You can't heal yokai…_ She turned to see Miki approaching, the slight shift in posture revealing Momo standing next to her, and immediately Miki's expression hardened.

"What the hell are you doing to my sister?" she asked, her eyes thinned into slits and filled with distrust.

"I was just—" she began, but Momo interrupted, stepping in front of Kagome.

"Miki!" Momo's voice was sharp and louder than her usual near-whisper. "Kagome-san was just trying to help me, right?"

"Uh-huh." Kagome felt a flush creep into her face, embarrassed by her impulsivity, not to mention utter failure.

Miki stiffened, crossing her arms across her chest. "Yeah, but, nee-san…"

Kagome was stunned when the diminutive Momo planted her hands on her hips. "No buts. You know as well as I do that she's perfectly trustworthy."

"Yeah, well, still doesn't mean I want her using those freaky priestess powers on my sister," Miki said peevishly.

Though it hurt some that Miki was distrustful of her, she couldn't completely blame her. Besides… "No, it's my fault," Kagome said, and both neko girls looked at her in surprise, Momo turning around to face her. "I reacted without even thinking. It was stupid, and I'm sorry"—she nodded to Momo—"and I apologize for worrying you," she said to Miki.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Momo said, her voice returning to its soft pitch. She did, however, elbow her sister, who let out an "oof!"

"Uh, yeah, what she said. And, uh, sorry for jumping down your throat like that…" Miki said, shoving her hands in her pockets and glancing down at the floor.

Kagome bit back a smile. Then, curiosity getting the best of her, she said, "So, I gotta ask…you knew I was a miko?"

Miki nodded. "Wasn't too sure about having you work here, but decided to let it slide…"

"Because someone vouched for you," Momo finished.

 _Rikuo? When? Maybe before he left for Tōno?_

Miki snickered at her puzzled expression, her former ill mood seemingly gone. "Look, Rikuo-sama wouldn't allow you here in Ukiyoe Town if you were dangerous. But actually, Oitekebori was the one who told the Sanba Garasu you weren't a threat—said you easily coulda purified her if you wanted, but you didn't."

"Ehhhh? She did?" Kagome found herself slightly less annoyed by the pond specter now. "Wait, Sanba Gara-who?"

Momo started to explain when the chime of the bell on the front door interrupted her. They all looked over to see a short elderly man in a kimono walk in. He smiled broadly at the three women.

Before they could greet him, however, Momo let out a startled squeak.

"The glass! Oh poop, I need to get a band-aid and then clean this up!" She waved at the old man distractedly, saying, "Good afternoon, _sōdaishō_!" before hurrying to the back to bandage her cut and to get a broom and dustpan.

Sōdaishō _? But I thought Rikuo was the Kanto yokai supreme commander? So then this is…?_

Her face must have conveyed her confusion, for the old man chuckled. "Miki-chan, good to see you. And…" He paused, glancing at Kagome. He wore an easy smile, but when his golden gaze met hers, it was piercing. "Ah, so is this the young woman who has my adorable grandson so captivated?"

"Uh, sure?" Miki shrugged. "This is Higurashi Kagome, and Kagome—"

Kagome grinned, her assumption confirmed. "Nurarihyon-san. A pleasure to meet you finally."

Nurarihyon's smile grew into a broad smirk as he dipped his head toward her. "Hmm, I see my reputation precedes me. However, I'm at a disadvantage…my grandson had mentioned your beauty, but truly, words don't do you justice. You're even more lovely than I expected."

Her cheeks warmed slightly as she bowed politely in return. _Damn, he's good._ _I think_ _I see now where Rikuo gets it from. Though I have a hunch his grandfather may actually be more smooth than he is…_

Still, she couldn't hold back a giggle. "Thank you, but I think you're both being too kind. So, what brings you here today?"

Nurarihyon gestured dismissively. "Well, I was on this side of town, and I haven't yet been here since the sanctuary opened, so why not?"

 _Uh-huh. That might be true, but I'm guessing curiosity over the miko dating his grandson was higher on the list of priorities._ She gave herself a shake mentally. _Quit making arrogant assumptions…not everything is about you!_

"Shall I give you a tour?" she asked politely.

Momo, who was now back in the room tidying up the broken glass, offered, "I'll watch the front, Kagome-san. Please, go ahead."

" _Tch_. I'll be in the office. That budget isn't going to manage itself," Miki said dryly, stalking off toward the back.

Momo glared at her sister and hissed under her breath, "Stop being so rude!" but Nurarihyon merely laughed.

"That girl's been prickly since the day she was born. Don't know how you manage it, Momo-chan."

Momo shrugged and said softly, "You get used to it."

"Agreed," Kagome added. "I think inside that snarky exterior is a big marshmallow, truthfully."

Both Nurarihyon and Momo eyed her dubiously.

 _Or perhaps I'm way off base. Oops. Awkward._ "Right, well, maybe not. Anyway, let me show you around!"

As she opened the door to the cat room, leaning down to shoo a couple kitties out of the way, Kagome suppressed the ecstatic squeal of pure glee. Being around yokai again? Awesome. Finding out Rikuo was a yokai? Even better. Meeting Nurarihyon, the founder of the Nura clan and original _sōdaishō_ and hyakki yakō leader? Complete and total folklorist AND fangirl jackpot.

 _Of course the downside is now I have to pretend to be normal around him…_

* * *

 _ **Tōno, Friday afternoon**_

Zen had elected to stay in Tōno another day or two, which worked out better for Rikuo anyway. It meant, after getting a couple hours' sleep, that Friday afternoon he was able to swing by the eastern ōkami clan without worrying about Zen. He half hoped the wolves knew something so he'd have information to rub in Ryūji's face when he returned.

He was just on the outskirts of Tōno village when a voice stopped him.

"Hey." It was Itaku, leaning against a tree about a foot away. "Name your favor."

"Not yet." Rikuo grinned. "I'll let you know."

Itaku shrugged indifferently, and Rikuo assumed that was that. But as he started to tell the kamaitachi good-bye and continue on his way, Itaku spoke.

"Good to see you've got your head on straight again."

"Huh?"

Itaku exhaled loudly and pinned him with a very teacherly look that conveyed how dim-witted he thought Rikuo was being. "Your new woman—Zen mentioned her. A miko? You got some kind of death wish, idiot?" He smirked when Rikuo glared at him. "Look, whatever the reason, instead of being distracted, you were extremely focused and driven, had that old spark back. So maybe she's not so bad for you after all."

Rikuo rubbed the back of his neck, laughing a little. "Uh, thanks? I mean, the bet didn't hurt, either."

" _Tch_. Don't get complacent, though—next time you'll be the one owing me." Itaku cracked a quick smile before his expression went back to impassive. "Anyway, I'll contact you if I hear any more rumors or if we find something concrete."

He knew a dismissal when he heard one. "Thanks, Itaku. Take care of Zen, will ya?"

Itaku gave him a strange look before nodding and disappearing back into the forest.

Rikuo smiled to himself. _Oh, Itaku. You're not fooling anyone—I know deep down you actually care._

* * *

Using his yokai form, it didn't take Rikuo long to arrive at the wolf clan compound in Fukushima.

He found Kōji waiting outside a large, centrally located house, its garage door open to the rapidly fading afternoon sun, an assortment of motorcycles in varying stages of repair—or disrepair—littering the driveway and interior of the garage.

Kōji greeted him excitedly, pulling him into a quick hug and slapping him enthusiastically on the back. "Glad you swung by!"

A head popped out from around the corner. "Yo, _Sandaime_! Good to see ya." The man bore a striking resemblance to Kōji, and had it not been for the faint fine lines around his eyes and lightest dusting of silver at his temples, he would have thought they were brothers, not grandfather and grandson.

"Likewise." He tipped his head toward him, and Kōga vanished back into the garage. Rikuo glanced around and looked questioningly at Kōji. "I knew your grandfather restored antique cars, but motorcycles?"

"Ah, that's just a hobby. He's got a thing about going fast." Kōji laughed. "So what brings you here?"

"Wanted to see how things were with the rat problem you mentioned a few weeks back."

Kōji leaned against the wall of the garage, crossing one leg in front of the other. "Not much to tell about the rats. Had a few minor incidents, but only here and there and at random. On the whole, it's been radio silence. Kinda weird."

Rikuo nodded. "Could be good or bad, but we'll hope for the best. Also, you know anything about a black market in Miyagi? Tōno yokai heard a rumor about some supposed black market for yokai who like to eat humans, or ones interested in ikigimo…"

A voice called from the garage, "We don't eat humans anymore! Haven't in a long damn time!"

Kōji rolled his eyes and yelled back, "He ain't accusing us, _jiji_. He's askin' if we know anything!"

Hooking a thumb toward the garage, Rikuo asked, "What's that about?"

"Apparently during the Sengoku period, the old man met the shikon miko a couple times, and somehow because of that, the clan swore off eating humans." Kōji snorted. "Probably had a thing for her or somethin' and was trying to impress her."

At this, Kōga poked his head back out, his blue eyes lit with interest. "What about the shikon no tama? You know, I had a couple shards myself for a while. Didn't get corrupted by 'em like some lesser yokai, either."

 _Shards? That legend is actually true?_ Rikuo knew the general gist of it, but he didn't find it surprising that the story wasn't completely made up. _Hell, my own life has been the stuff of fiction…_ _I know Kagome was researching it… Wonder if she knows at least some of the lore is evidently true?_

Kōji, though, seemed less intrigued, the young wolf groaning loudly. "No one wants to hear your stories of the 'good old days,' _jiji_. Quit interrupting—Rikuo-sama and I have business to discuss, damnit!"

While it was true he did have business to discuss with Kōji, Rikuo wasn't sure the other part of Kōji's statement was entirely accurate. He stifled a grin. He could think of one person in particular who might be interested in Kōga's stories.

Kōji cut his train of thought short, nudging Rikuo. "Right?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sorry. I wondered if you'd heard any rumors. Tōno yokai said one of the ones they'd heard mentioned the kitsune in Miyagi could be involved, but they haven't found anything to substantiate that or the black market even existing. Didn't know if you knew much about the fox skulks." Since they weren't part of the Nura clan, Rikuo's own knowledge was somewhat limited.

Before Kōji could answer, he heard Kōga growl, "They're a godsdamned nuisance is what they are. Cocky sons of bitches, with their fancy illusions…"

Rikuo cocked his head in confusion, concerned. He wasn't aware of any on-going conflict between the ōkami tribe and the Miyagi kitsune, but if there was an issue, he needed to be informed.

"Want something to drink?" Kōji motioned for Rikuo to follow him, heading toward the house and away from the garage—and presumably to where Kōga couldn't hear them.

Inside, Kōji explained. "Some young foxes practicing for the kitsune yōjutsu exam tricked him a little while back, and he's still salty about it." Kōji snickered. "Though, I guess if a bunch of scantily clad pretty girls suggested I go to a nearby inn with them, I wouldn't say no either." Kōji gave him a crooked grin.

 _Of course not. Like grandfather, like grandson._

"Anyway, to answer your earlier question, honestly, no, I haven't heard anything, but those kitsune kinda keep to themselves, not an overly social bunch, minus the trickery, ya know." Then his grin grew roguish. "Although…I _have_ heard the leader of one of the kitsune skulks is extremely attractive, if you like redheads."

Trust Kōji to know the rumors about the women. "Well, if you do hear anything about a yokai black market, particularly involving ikigimo, I'd appreciate it if you let me know."

Kōji nodded. "So…how's Tsurara-nee-san? And that cute little neko girl? Think she'd have any interest in a wolf?"

Rikuo groaned inwardly, but he couldn't contain a hint of a smile. "Kōji, I have absolutely no clue what kind of guy Momo is interested in."

"Can't hurt to try!" Kōji eyed Rikuo slyly. "How 'bout you, Rikuo-sama? You got yourself a woman yet?"

Rikuo gave a nonchalant shrug. "Maybe…" he said cryptically.

Before Kōji could press him for details, a door banged open, and Kōga and several other wolf yokai bounded into the kitchen, all happy to see Rikuo.

"Rikuo-sama!"

" _Sandaime_! Long time no see!"

"Heyyyy, Rikuo-sama… That pretty yuki onna still single?"

"You gonna stay for dinner? C'mon, please? Ginta's got a new recipe he's been wanting to try out!"

"Oh, yeah, stay the night! We'll even get out the good sake, and I can tell you about the Sengoku era…"

Various moans and grumbles sounded after Kōga's comment, and Rikuo resisted the urge to laugh. Before the wolves had joined the Nura clan, he had always heard they were a distrustful, aloof bunch, but he'd never seen any evidence of it. They were goofy, no doubt, but they were also warm and clearly loved their pack. And they seemed to enjoy food, drink, and revelry as much as the rest of the Nuragumi.

Absently, he wondered if they would let him bring Kagome by when he took her to Tōno. He'd have to ask them at some point later. _To quote Kōji, can't hurt to try._

* * *

Late Friday night, after many drinks and a fantastic meal—the wolves were better cooks that he had anticipated—when the opportunity arose, Rikuo slipped away, unseen, into the woods surrounding their compound. Finding a spot in one of the trees that afforded him a good view, he reclined against the tree trunk and pulled out his cell phone and his pipe.

 _I hope it's not too late._ It was only a quarter to twelve, and from what he had gathered, Kagome was a bit of a night owl, but he hated to call and wake her up if she'd gone to bed early.

As if summoned by his thoughts of her, his phone buzzed.

 **Kagome:** Met your grandfather today ^_^

He exhaled, watching the smoke swirl, and then ran a hand over his face. Jiji _… I need another drink…_

 **Rikuo:** you busy? Can I call you?

She replied with "sure!" and then answered quickly once he'd dialed. "Hey, what's up?"

Contentment rolled over him at the sound of her voice. "Not much, just wanted to know what I need to apologize for."

There was a short pause, and then she asked, "Apologize? For what?"

"My grandfather."

Kagome's soft laughter trickled across the phone line. "No need to apologize for anything! He was quite charming. Said he came by to see the cat sanctuary since he hadn't been there yet."

Rikuo made a rude noise in the back of his throat. He didn't buy that for a second. "You mean, more like he's a nosy old man curious about the miko working there and dating his grandson."

"Well…" Her hesitation told him all that he needed to know, but she confirmed it when she added, "He might have mentioned something about that."

He groaned. _Yep. Sign me up for grand-patricide or whatever you'd call it. I'm going to kill him when I get home._

"I didn't mind, you know."

"Oh?"

He could hear Kagome hum, as if she were thinking. "Like I said, he was charming, if perhaps a little too smooth"—Rikuo clamped his teeth down on the end of his pipe, but he refrained from commenting—"but all that aside, I got to meet Nurarihyon," she finished, excitement creeping into her voice.

 _Ohhhh. Of course._ He couldn't prevent a smile from spreading across his face. "Oi, oi, blue eyes. You've already met a Nurarihyon…"

"You hush. That's not what I meant, and you know it. This was the _first_ Nurarihyon _sōdaishō_." Then, as an afterthought, she said, "Plus he's your family. You've met _my_ grandfather."

The fact that she wanted to meet his family made him happier than it probably should have. "Fair enough. Other than meeting the meddlesome old man, how was your day?"

Kagome sighed loudly. "Fine, I guess. Saw your BFF."

 _Does she mean Ryūji? We get along all right, but best friend isn't a title I'd bestow upon him._ "Hmm… You've never met Shōei, and Zen's still in Tōno… Oh, did you meet Tsurara?" he asked innocently.

"Funny. You know damned well who I'm referring to. That asshole onmyoji of yours."

"He is _not_ mine _._ "

His curt retort earned him a slew of giggles from Kagome. "Anyway… Ryūji said to tell you—and I quote—'whenever he decides to quit gallivanting around and actually do some damn work, I'd like the three of us to get together to discuss the case.' And he also called you useless."

"Gallivanting…" Rikuo huffed. "Useless, huh? I'll give him useless…"

More soft laughter, on the heels of which came a poorly muffled yawn. "Sorry."

"You've got work in the morning, don't you?"

"Mmhmm. My boss is a real stickler for punctuality too."

"Ehhhh? I am not!"

"Not you, silly." He could almost see her smile, lighting up those vibrant blue eyes. "Miki."

"Oh, right, of course. Well, then, in that case, I should let you get some sleep."

Another yawn, this time less quiet. "Guess so. Thanks for calling. And really, don't worry about your grandfather."

"If you say so. G'nite, blue eyes."

"Night, Rikuo."

He tucked his phone back inside his kimono and then folded one arm behind his head, gazing through the branches to the bright stars above him. He had barely begun to relax, though, when bellows of "Rikuo-sama!" and "Sandaime!" reached his ears.

 _Should've known they'd notice sooner rather than later…_

He dropped down out of the tree just in time for Kōji to dash up, the too-wide grin of one who has had a bit too much to drink plastered across his face.

"Where'd you sneak off to, Rikuo-sama?" He angled his head, regarding Rikuo and the pipe he held. "To smoke?" Then his expression grew sly. "Or…was it somethin' to do with a woman maybe?"

Rikuo's eyes widened. _Shit, he's more perceptive than I gave him credit for_. "Ah… I…"

"'S'what I thought." Kōji laughed and clapped a hand on Rikuo's shoulder. "C'mon, _Sandaime_. Have a few more drinks with us, and let's hear about this woman a'yours."

Before he could even attempt to object, Kōji hollered to some pack mates a few feet away, "Yo! Rikuo-sama's got a girl, gonna tell us about her so us miserable single bastards can live vicariously through him!"

Rikuo found himself somewhat impressed that Kōji, as inebriated as he was, managed to use the word 'vicariously' both correctly _and_ without slurring too much.

Whoops and cat-calls echoed through the trees, and Rikuo pinched the bridge of his nose as they made their way back toward the wolves' compound.

 _I'm going to need_ a lot _more to drink…_

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1.** But soft! what angry mob through yonder window breaks?  
Okay, butchered Shakespeare aside, yes, I know, Kagome and Rikuo didn't have any face-to-face time together in this chapter and she hasn't told him about her past yet. Put down the pitchforks, will ya? To borrow (but not butcher) from the good Bard again, this time _Hamlet_ , "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't."  
This and the next chapter were originally supposed to be one single chapter, but it was quickly getting out of hand, so I separated them for sanity's sake. I will post the next asap. Promise.

 **2.** In the meantime, if you're so inclined, feel free to check out (if you haven't already) the **Embracing Fear Odds and Ends** , which will be a collection of short scenes and/or one-shots from the Embracing Fear universe that don't fit neatly within the main storyline or that I've written just for fun. (shameless self-promotion? who me?)

 **3.** Regarding Rika: just to be clear to those who are members of one fandom or another, but not both, she's an OC. Y'all know those people who have a burning need for drama in their lives or never quite matured past high school? Yeah, that kind. *shudder* Her name was inspired by the fact that, at least in otome games, nothing good can come of a girl named Rika. ;-)

 **4.** (sorry for being so long-winded) A question for y'all - are the POV changes clear enough? Or would you like me to mark them with a heading like I've done with the day here in this chapter? Personally I sometimes find that distracting, but it's also my writing so I know where the POV shifts are LOL. Just curious :-)


	19. Chapter 18

Y'all. _Y'all._ I have the _best_ readers ever. Each and every damn one of you. I want to give a shout-out to **Satu82** — **sacakuink** on tumblr—who drew some _amazing_ fanart for this story, which nearly had me in tears I'm so unbelievably touched and in awe. Y'all need to go check it out! I'm still at a loss for words. So I'll settle for a massive thank you :-)

A couple quick notes because I don't want to be unintentionally misleading: One, last chapter the "redheaded kitsune leader" Kōji referred to was a woman, and not Shippō. BUT since I don't have the heart to torture those of you who love our precious fox boy, yes, Shippō is still alive and he will show up at some point (though not any time soon) in this story.  
Two, about her curse and her friends' memories, specifically Kōga: Kōga does not remember _Kagome_. He remembers, vaguely, a woman who was the shikon miko, but that's all. I'm not saying Kagome will never run across anyone from her past—that may or may not happen—but when and if they do, they will not remember her specifically.

Anyway, here's chapter 18, basically the second half of chapter 17.

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"Life is too short, Harry. And there's nowhere near enough joy in it. If you find it, grab it. Before it's gone."  
 **–Jim Butcher,** _Changes_

"Ladies in bunches always filled me with vague apprehension and a firm desire to be elsewhere."  
 **–Harper Lee,** _To Kill a Mockingbird_

* * *

 ** _Saturday_**

Midmorning Saturday, while Kagome was spending time "socializing" the orphaned kittens—neither Momo nor Miki had called her on the extremely flimsy excuse—she got a text from Rikuo.

 **Rikuo:** Morning blue eyes. Forgot to ask you last night, but are you free tonight? I should be home early this evening.

She was sorely tempted to cancel her existing plans, but before she could answer, another text popped up.

 **Natsumi:** Looking forward to tonight! I know you have to work today, but please don't bail on me!

 _Shit, is she psychic or something?_ Kagome's shoulders slumped, and she let out a whine that made the kittens swivel their ears and tilt their heads at her. She would rather see Rikuo than spend time with Eri and Rika, but she didn't have the heart to ditch Natsumi.

She sent a quick reply to Natsumi, saying, "I won't. I promise."

One of the kittens pawed at her phone, and she giggled, booping Tora on his nose. "You three don't have a clue how easy you have it, do you?" With a sigh, she texted Rikuo back.

 **Kagome:** Hey! I wish I was free…but I've already got plans with Natsumi and some old friends of ours who're in town.  
 **Rikuo:** Damn, there she goes stealing you away from me again. Maybe tomorrow, then?  
 **Kagome:** Sure! Tomorrow would be great

She started to add something more when she heard Miki bellow, "Hey, how long you gonna 'socialize' those kittens? There's work to do, ya know!"

 **Kagome:** yikes, gotta run before Miki has a meltdown or confiscates my phone lol – I'll text you later okay?

She shoved her phone in her pocket without waiting for his reply and hurried up to the front.

* * *

 ** _Saturday Night_**

Kagome recalled reading somewhere that women dressed up more for other women than they did for men. The article had mentioned something about wanting to impress one's friends, or something along those lines, but as she dressed for the evening out, Kagome felt more like she was preparing for battle, choosing clothes and applying makeup as one might select weapons and equip armor. For this particular skirmish, she'd opted for a skirt that hit right above her knees, a comfortable yet stylish sweater, and her favorite pair of knee-high boots. Once her hair and makeup were done, she'd be combat-ready.

 _Oh, for fuck's sake, Kagome, quit being so melodramatic. It's just one girls' night out. How bad can it be?_

She peeked at her phone. Nothing. She'd texted Rikuo back once she'd gotten off work, apologizing for having to cut their texting short that morning and letting him know that she was free any time after two thirty or three on Sunday.

 _He's probably still on his way home from Tōno,_ she told herself. _Or catching up on whatever he does as the clan leader since he was gone for almost a week. Don't read too much into it._

Several minutes later, though, when a text alert ping sounded from her phone, she dropped the earrings she was putting in as excitement coursed through her.

It was short-lived, however, when she saw it was from Natsumi.

 **Natsumi:** Be there in 10! text you when we're outside

She replied with a thumbs-up and picked her earrings up off the floor, putting them on. Then, since she had a bit of time to kill, she opened the Kiyojūji paranormal investigation website to see if there was anything new—and potentially helpful for Rikuo—in the forum.

One post immediately caught her eye, a thread titled "vampires?" from a user named "crowbros." She clicked on it:

"Heard a rumor that supposedly there's some vampires kidnapping and killing people here in town, but that just seems really hard to believe. I mean, wtf, vampires? What do you guys think? Anyone here heard anything?"

Of course, Kiyojūji_no1_fan had replied, wanting to launch an investigation, no surprise there; yurei_l0vr made some asinine comment about how exciting, oh mah gawd maybe she could meet one, and didn't you just know they had to be devastatingly handsome; and then there were the requisite people making snide comments or saying "vampires aren't real." Which, to Kagome, was remarkably hypocritical given the array of things those individuals _did_ believe in.

A few, however, did appear to take the question seriously. One—the user "waterdragon"—asked for further details, saying, "While I highly doubt the vampires we see depicted in movies and other media exist, there's always the possibility of a blood-drinking yokai or other paranormal entity. What did these rumors say made them think it was vampires?" To which crowbros said they weren't sure, but supposed it could've had to do with the bodies found near Ukiyoe Town.

Another reply, from "cupcakesamurai," seemed to back that up:

"According to a friend of mine, there's been an uptick in missing persons cases. Then you've got the guys found in Ukiyoe Town, reportedly killed by an animal attack, but what kind of animal is going to come into Tokyo to hunt…without getting seen by anyone? Plus it's Ukiyoe Town. If there's a supernatural connection and I'm not saying there is, but if there was one, a vampiric spirit, yokai, whatever… it could be kidnapping people in order to provide themselves with a readily available food supply."

The idea made Kagome sick to her stomach, but it wasn't unfathomable. _No, actually, it makes a lot of sense. Yuck._

Both waterdragon and crowbros jumped on the response, asking things like how their friend knew about the missing persons cases and were there any connections between those who'd gone missing, but cupcakesamurai had yet to answer them.

Kagome was about to open a post with the subject "IRL Meet ups?" when she got a text from Natsumi saying she was outside. Closing her phone's browser, Kagome took a deep breath, grabbed her purse, and headed out for her first girls' night in a very long time.

* * *

 _"How bad can it be?"_

She really had to learn to stop tempting the universe that way.

The upscale bar and lounge was crowded, and it was only by good luck or divine intervention that the girls were able to find a table for all four of them. Glancing around the venue, which was simultaneously overstimulating and underwhelming, Kagome wished for not the first time that she hadn't agreed to come. Rika and Eri got on her nerves, and the bar was a little too packed for her preference. She was thankful to have Natsumi along, but truth be told, she would have rather stayed at home.

 _Or spent the evening with Rikuo…_ supplied that oh-so-helpful little voice in her head. She had yet to have the opportunity to tell him about her past, and with him coming back into town, she could have finally ripped the band-aid off tonight. Her stomach flip-flopped uncomfortably at the idea, but the longer she waited, the worse her anxiety would be. On the other hand… _Things are so nice right now…I really don't want to ruin things with him…_

 _Nope. Nope nope nope._ Gut-churning fear over how he would respond be damned, she had decided to tell him and that was that.

A sharp elbow dug into her ribs as Natsumi nudged her, drawing her out of her daydreaming, and Kagome tried to refocus on the conversation they were having. Not that it was anything particularly stimulating _._ As usual, Eri and Rika were gossiping about guys. _I don't know how Natsumi can stand it—there's barely even matchmaker potential here…_

"Anyway, I only went out with him twice, and he was sooooo boring. Extremely good-looking, but totally dull," Rika said dejectedly.

 _Yes, because you're such a paragon of intellect._

Eri clicked her tongue. "Such a pity."

Natsumi laughed. "What about that guy you texted me about, Eri-chan? The one you went out with for a couple months? I think his name was Shou or something?"

 _Oh,_ kami _, don't encourage her_ , Kagome thought. None of her attempts to change the subject had worked thus far.

"Shou? That was over a year ago… He wasn't as cute as I prefer, but he definitely was…mmmm…how to put it?" Eri paused dramatically, putting a finger to her lips. "Well-endowed?"

Kagome choked on her drink, and Rika threw her head back, laughing. "Oh, cut the crap, Kagome-chan, don't act like you're some blushing virgin."

"Oooh, yeah, I heard someone say you dated Daisuke-kun a while ago, Kagome-chan. Sooo…? Supposedly he's _quite_ the stud in bed," Eri said, looking at Kagome expectantly.

"Yes, do tell. Details, details." Rika made a "gimme" gesture with one hand.

 _If by stud, you mean male, then sure. But otherwise…_ Kagome shrugged. "He was okay, I guess."

All three girls, even Natsumi, stared at her like she'd grown three heads. "'Okay'? You guess?" Rika sputtered.

Kagome lifted her glass only to notice it was empty. _Damnit, already?_ "Um, yeah, I mean… Not that Hōjō-kun was mind-blowing, but at least he lasted more than two minutes," Kagome replied, and then clamped a hand over her lips, eyes widening. Clearly, the two drinks she'd already consumed had loosened her filter significantly. _Well, fuck. Nice job, genius._

Natsumi's expression didn't change—she'd already known, plus she didn't know Hōjō personally—but Rika and Eri's mouths unhinged in shock. Then, Rika recovered, saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa… You slept with _Hōjō-kun_? How could you not tell us?"

Eri moved her head up and down rapidly, like some sort of bobblehead doll. "Yeah, what the hell? Why are we just now finding out?"

Once again, Kagome's mouth got ahead of her better judgment. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because it's none of your damned business?"

Her two friends jerked back like they'd been slapped, and Natsumi gave Kagome a reproving glance before saying, "Now, now, let's remember not everyone likes to kiss and tell."

There was an awkward silence, Rika and Eri looking hurt while Natsumi patted each of their hands comfortingly as Kagome fidgeted with her straw and the remaining ice in her glass.

 _Why am I even still here?_ A peek at Natsumi reminded her. She had spent too many years pining for the dead; if she were to go on living, she needed to _be_ with the living. Kagome blew out a breath, her bangs fluttering. _I need to make more effort…if for no other reason, Natsumi._

Forcing a plastic smile upon her face, Kagome offered a halfhearted apology—reluctantly—and asked if anyone needed anything from the bar. If she were going to survive the night, she would need another drink. Perhaps several.

Squirming and wriggling through groups of other patrons, narrowly dodging an elbow here and a sloshed martini there, she finally made it to the bar unscathed. She ordered herself a double rum and coke and one of those pink fruity concoctions that Rika kept knocking back.

As she waited for the drinks, a beyond-tipsy guy sidled up next her, propping one elbow on the bar and staring at her. She rolled her eyes and ignored him.

"Hey, babe, come here often?"

 _He did not just say that. Tell me he's joking._ A quick glance told her that he absolutely wasn't.

"Hey." A tap on her shoulder. Mentally she urged him to go away.

Another tap. "Wanna come drink with me 'n' my friends? Pretty girl like you shouldn't be all alone."

She clenched her teeth. Apparently, the bartender was distilling his own rum it was taking him so long to make her drink, so Kagome figured it was best to tell the drunk he was barking up the wrong tree. _Except…not in those exact words. He's too shitfaced to understand I don't mean a literal tree_.

She turned slightly so she could make eye contact with him and said firmly, "Not interested."

"C'mon, I'll buy you a drink! It'll be super fun…" he pleaded, words slurring.

 _For the love of…_ Kagome glared at him. "I'm here with my friends. Thanks, but no thanks."

The bartender finally returned with her and Rika's drinks, and as she started back toward her friends, the drunken moron who wouldn't take no for an answer grabbed her arm.

"So what'd'ya say? Come drink with us?" He flashed what he probably thought was a charming smile.

Kagome tried to jerk her arm away, but because she was taking care not to spill the drinks she'd finally obtained, she couldn't quite wrench free. Thoroughly pissed, she snapped, "I said no, you dumbass. Let me go, _now_."

Instead of letting go, however, his grip tightened, almost painfully so. "Don't be a bitch about it—" he began, but was cut off when another hand grasped his and forcibly pried it off Kagome's arm.

"I believe she said she wasn't interested and told you to _let go_ ," a familiar voice spoke, and Kagome was stunned to find Rikuo suddenly standing there. Rikuo's brown eyes were hard, and he looked as if he were struggling with the desire to break the guy's wrist.

The drunk snatched his hand away, rubbing it. "Damn, dude. Chill." Then as he started to walk away, he muttered under his breath, "Stupid whore…"

Rikuo's jaw tightened, and he took a step forward. Sighing, yet amused at his overprotectiveness, Kagome said, "Rikuo. Ignore the drunk idiot. I'm fine."

His expression softened when he glanced at her, and she smiled. "Really. But thank you. I'd've kicked his ass myself, but then I'd spill the drinks and have to go get more, and never mind the wasted money—that bartender is about as fast as a herd of turtles." She gestured with the cocktails in her hands.

Rikuo finally relaxed and laughed. "Oi, let me help with those."

She handed him Rika's. "Thanks." Then, "What are you doing here, anyway? Did Natsumi-chan say something to you? This is supposed to be a girls' night," she said, suspecting yet another of her friend's matchmaking schemes.

Rikuo averted his gaze, and Kagome could have sworn he looked faintly embarrassed—it was hard to tell in the dimly lit bar.

"I… It's not like that," he said, still not meeting her eyes. "Kuro…mentioned that he was a little concerned, what with the missing persons lately and all, but Natsumi-chan threatened him with a fate worse than death if he crashed your girls' night. So I offered to keep an eye on things, from a distance." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly with his free hand and lifted his gaze to hers. "Sorry?"

She attempted to look stern and arched a brow. "I'll have you know I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. As is Natsumi-chan, I'm sure. But…the intention is appreciated. Besides…" She couldn't keep from smiling at this point. "It's good to see you."

A boyish smile appeared on his face, reaching all the way to his eyes. "Thanks. Glad I got to see you too. Can't say I was entirely altruistic when I volunteered to help Kuro out."

Kagome felt her face grow warm. "Well…can't say how Natsumi-chan's gonna react, but honestly…to me, you'll be a breath of fresh air."

He tilted his head. "Oh?"

"It's not Natsumi-chan's fault. It's…" She gave a lengthy sigh. Then, gesturing toward their table, she said, "Well, c'mon, you'll see. Apologies in advance…"

Rikuo's brow furrowed, and she could tell she'd only confused him further. However, he didn't question her, just followed as she wove her way through the crowd.

When they got to the table, as Rikuo set the drink he'd carried down, Rika ran her gaze up and down Rikuo's body, not even trying to be subtle. She glanced at Kagome. "Ooo, I see you brought me an extra treat from the bar. What's your name, handsome?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome caught Natsumi looking at Rika, her lip curling into a tiny sneer before she schooled her features back to neutral.

"Rikuo-kun, I'm _surprised_ to see you tonight. Please tell me Kuro didn't send you?" Natsumi asked, her silky tone scarcely covering the steel lurking beneath.

He cleared his throat guiltily, and Kagome took pity on him. _Hey, what's one more fib amid the innumerous lies I've already told?_ "No, he had a, um, business meeting here, right, Rikuo? And he happened to see me at the bar. Was kind enough to rescue me from an overly persistent drunk."

Natsumi stared at them for a moment, suspicious, before relaxing. Then, waving her hand between the people gathered, she introduced Rika and Eri to Rikuo as Eri snagged an extra chair, placing it in between Kagome and Rika.

Eri leaned over and started filling in Kagome about some gossip she'd heard about Yuka, which Kagome hardly registered, adding "mmhmm" and "oh really?" when appropriate as she watched Rika flirt with Rikuo shamelessly. As best she could from her angle, Kagome studied Rikuo's expression and body language, curious how he would respond. Old ghosts of insecurities past hurried to resurrect themselves—would yet another man she had feelings for leave her for another woman?

 _It's not like she's unattractive…she's certainly prettier than I am…_

"Yeah…that's…nice. So, Kagome." Rikuo attempted to turn toward her, when Rika reached out abruptly and ran her hand through his hair, startling him.

"Such unusual hair," Rika purred, continuing to comb her fingers through his brown-and-black hair. "Is it natural?"

Rikuo's left eyebrow twitched, and he leaned away until she quit petting him. "Uh…yeah, it's natural."

Natsumi's eyes were narrowed at Rika, her mouth now blatantly twisted into a frown. If Kagome hadn't been so irritated by Rika's antics herself, she might have found her friend's reaction funny. Natsumi _never_ appreciated someone interfering with one of her matchmaking endeavors. Not that Rika would care.

"Do you work out, Nura-kun? Even under this shirt, I can tell you're _very_ muscular…"

 _I think I'm going to puke._ Sure, she'd admired Rikuo's physique herself, on more than one occasion, but damn, what a cliché and cheesy line to use.

"Rika-chan," Natsumi said, her tone deceptively sweet as Rika now trailed a fingernail down Rikuo's arm, seemingly unaware of Rikuo's efforts to pull away. "Did you notice the guy over there checking you out?"

Kagome bit her lip. _That_ she did find amusing, as she was well aware there was no such person. The question was, would Rika take the bait?

"Oh? Where?" Rika peered in the direction Natsumi indicated, and evidently not seeing anyone piquing her interest, she turned back around and tossed her hair over her shoulder, peeking up at Rikuo coyly through her sideswept bangs. "So, Nura-kun…tell me about yourself."

 _Apparently not. Good effort, Natsumi-chan._

"Uh… Well…"

As Rikuo gave polite but obviously vague—at least to Kagome, anyway—answers to Rika's questions, Kagome watched Natsumi grow further annoyed. If she'd had a tail to match those catlike eyes of hers, Kagome had no doubt it would've been lashing angrily at that point. Eri seemed blissfully unaware of the situation, chattering about who-knows-what to no one in particular, both Natsumi and Kagome occasionally adding monosyllabic replies.

After a few minutes, Natsumi must have come up with some way to thwart Rika, as her expression shifted from one of irritation to self-satisfaction. But just as Natsumi opened her mouth to speak, Rikuo jumped in his seat, his knee whacking the table, back rigid, and the girls eyed him strangely.

"Everything okay, Nura-kun?" Rika asked innocently, pulling her arm from beneath the table to rest her chin in her hand. The tone of her voice plus the fluttering eyelashes had Kagome instantly grinding her teeth together.

Rikuo coughed. "Uh, yeah, sorry, just, uh…" He pulled his cell phone out and gestured with it. "Phone on vibrate startled me, is all." He gave an uncomfortable chuckle and then edged his chair slightly closer to Kagome's.

When Rika pouted and Kagome realized he'd slid himself just out of arm's reach, she put two and two together. _Handsy bitch._ Her reiki crackled below the surface in agreement. _Pity she's not a yokai…'cause it'd be_ such _a pleasure to purify her ass._

Her annoyance must have shown on her face, or perhaps he sensed her reiki fluctuate, for Rikuo nudged her gently. "Oi, you all right?"

 _I will be_ , she thought irritably and downed the last of her rum and coke. Then, she leaned in close and whispered to him, "Follow my lead." He looked puzzled, but nodded almost imperceptibly.

Stretching her arm, Kagome made a show of glancing at her watch. "Wow, will you look at the time! I soooo hate it"—she struggled to rein in the sarcasm—"but I _really_ need to be getting home. Natsumi-chan, you good?"

Natsumi gave her a knowing grin and a thumbs-up. "Yep, I can get Kuro to pick me up later."

Kagome, standing, smiled weakly at Rika and Eri. "It was positively peachy to see you two again. Rikuo was ever so sweet and offered to take me home, so we're off, but you three enjoy the rest of your night!" _Oof, hopefully they'll buy it. Overselling the cheerful a bit much…_

Rikuo, a smirk flitting across his face, also stood. "Nice to meet you two," he said, inclining his head momentarily before turning to Natsumi and adding, "Be safe getting home. Call or text me if you can't reach Kuro." Then, to Kagome's surprise, he placed his hand on the small of her back, using his other hand to point toward the exit. "Shall we?"

She waved good-bye, and as they made their way to the door, she tried to ignore all the wicked thoughts that arose from his touch, borne of the combination of jealously and alcohol-loosened inhibitions. Kagome wanted to deck Rika, wanted to tell the shallow bitch to keep those wandering hands off _her_ man, but more than that, she wanted to kiss him, wrap her legs around his waist…

 _Whoa, down, girl. Getting ahead of yourself. Think cold shower thoughts_.

Rikuo flagged a taxi, and Kagome started to thank him and tell him how much she appreciated his help escaping, when he slid into the vehicle next to her, saying, "I'll make sure you get home safely."

"Huh? Oh, it's okay, you don't have to. I really didn't have _that_ much to drink."

"It can be dangerous after dark," he said simply.

The twenty-minute drive to her apartment was borderline torturous, Kagome struggling to maintain a coherent, if superficial, conversation with Rikuo when her focus was actually on the arm behind her back, the hand snug at her waist. The warm press of his thigh against hers, how close her head was to his left shoulder, the delicious way he smelled faintly of wood smoke and sakura…

 _Ice water. Snow. Kissing him in the snow. Not helping! Shaved ice. Popsicles._ She could've facepalmed for _that_ particular thought and what it brought to mind _. Epic fail. Hmm…math? Equations, variables… Sine, cosine, tangent. Minus b, plus-or-minus the square root of… Blehhh. Yuck, maybe that's working too well…_

"Kagome?" Rikuo's confused tone drew her out of her distracted mental rambling.

"Mmm?"

"You okay? We're here."

She perked up. _Saved from quadratic formula hell_. "Sorry, was thinking about math…" she replied, realizing too late how truly bizarre that sounded.

Rikuo blinked. "Math?"

Kagome laughed awkwardly and waved her hand. "Never mind!" She accepted his extended hand and stepped out of the taxi.

He thankfully didn't press the issue as they made their way to her apartment door, opting instead to ask about Rika. _An equally distasteful topic, if you ask me._

"So is she always like that?"

"Who, Rika? Yeah, she's always been like that. Get a few drinks in her and it only makes it worse."

He was silent for a moment, as though mulling over something, and then snorted. "Since you've seemed lukewarm at best toward her, I'm going to assume—"

"Natsumi," they said in unison.

She grinned at him. "To be fair, she had only good intentions with a girls' night, and she was also pissed at Rika."

Kagome stopped outside her apartment, and Rikuo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" Then, a split second later, as understanding dawned, "Ohhh…"

 _Although, for once, I'm on Team Matchmaker. Or at least in agreement with her. Rika…thank goodness she lives in Kyoto._

She bent her head to fish her keys out of her purse, and as she unlocked her door, Kagome's impulse control finally snapped the leash it had been straining at ever since they had left the bar. _Oh fuck it._

Kagome pivoted on her heel and then reached up, grabbed Rikuo forcefully by the collar, and yanked him down into a kiss.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **1.** So…it's not Kagome telling him the truth, but will that suffice? ;-) Joking aside, I really hope y'all enjoyed the chapter!

 **2.** I know I said nothing good comes of characters named Rika, but I suppose to be fair, Rika _did_ help spur Kagome's actions. Even if Kagome would like to draw and quarter her.

 **3.** Random headcanon (since y'all really care lol) – For the contexts of this story at least, I think of yokai as being perhaps more touchy-feely and physically affectionate, in a platonic or romantic way, than their human counterparts. Or maybe it's just that yokai don't have a good sense of boundaries (I'm looking at you, Awashima…). ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	20. Chapter 19

As always, thanks to everyone for their kinds comments and reviews. Can't tell you how nice it is to read those when I'm having a rough day ;-)  
So, here's chapter 19. When we last left our not-quite-yet-official couple, our heroine had taken a step—thank god—toward more official-ness.

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"Soon she would learn—just as he had—that there was no outrunning the demons of one's own creation."  
 **–Susan Dennard,** _Windwitch_

"Alone. It's one of those small words that means entirely too much. Like fear. Or trust."  
 **–Jim Butcher** , _Fool Moon_

* * *

When Kagome kissed him, Rikuo froze. It was as if the shock of her doing so caused some integral piece of mental machinery to slip, and the entire mechanism ceased to function. Or maybe there was simply too much racing through his mind, to the point that it had overloaded the circuitry.

But when her hands left his collar and she started to step back, Rikuo finally snapped out of his daze. He wrapped one arm around her waist and yanked her tight against him, kissing her hard. She let out a startled gasp that shifted to a low moan as he ran a hand over the curve of her hip, and he took advantage of her parted lips to deepen the kiss. Kagome lifted onto her tiptoes and looped her arms around his neck, kissing him back with equal fervor.

When they finally separated, both breathless, he cupped her face and rested his forehead to hers.

"You know," Kagome said teasingly, "for a second you had me worried."

He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before straightening. "Oh?"

One side of her mouth quirked up. "Well, yeah. Not exactly good for a girl's ego when the guy she kisses goes completely stiff." Her cheeks flushed scarlet, and she covered her face with one hand. "Um…that…came out wrong."

Though her unintended meaning wasn't too far off base, Rikuo laughed. "I think I know what you meant. Sorry, blue eyes. You caught me off guard."

Kagome separated her fingers to peek at him. "In a good or bad way?"

 _You have no idea what you do to me, do you?_ "Good, definitely good."

She removed her hand and smiled warmly. They were both silent for a moment, as if neither quite knew what to say. Then, in tandem, they both spoke.

"So, uh…"

"Well…"

They each paused, waiting for the other to finish, and after another second of silence, Kagome laughed. "Oh, just kiss me again, will you?"

Rikuo grinned and complied. Who was he to deny the request of a beautiful woman? _No, not just_ any _beautiful woman._ This _woman._

She fisted one hand in his shirt and threaded the other through his hair, and he couldn't contain a groan. He might not like other people touching his hair, but Kagome could any time she wanted to. She tasted minty sweet, likely from the gum she'd been chewing, and all he could think was that he had been correct earlier in the week—she was going to be the death of him.

Rikuo reluctantly drew on every ounce of his self-control to pull away, clearing his throat. "We keep this up, your neighbors are gonna talk…"

Kagome sighed. "I guess you're right…" Then she yawned widely, slapping a hand over her mouth afterward and blushing again. "Sorry…it's been a _long_ day."

He stifled a yawn of his own, nodding. "Agreed. We still on for tomorrow? Dinner, pick you up around sixish?"

Something unidentifiable flickered in her eyes before she replied. "Yep! Looking forward to it."

"Perfect. All right, well…I'll see you tomorrow then."

He gave her one last kiss, keeping it short lest he give in to temptation, and turned to leave.

" _Ne_ , Rikuo?" Her hand clasped his suddenly, and he looked over his shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

Kagome hesitated, and when she spoke, her voice was small, timid. "Do you believe in time travel?"

 _Huh? That's…kind of random…_ However random, though, he could tell by her tone and the way she watched him carefully that his response mattered. So instead of teasing her about such a strange, out-of-the-blue question, he genuinely thought it over for a moment and answered seriously. "Honestly? I've never really given it much thought. But considering all that I've experienced in my life, at this point, I'd be stupid to completely deny the possibility."

The brittle smile she gave him made his chest ache. "That's…that's good. Really, really good."

Both the question and her reaction confused the hell out of him. "Why do you ask?"

Her eyes didn't meet his when she answered. "No reason. Sorry. Anyway, thanks for bringing me home."

A strange question and another evasion. He quelled the desire to ask for clarification, figuring she'd explain when she was ready. So he simply grinned and gave her hand a quick squeeze. "Of course. Anything for you."

She shook her head a little at that, then released him and waved before disappearing into her apartment. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he headed toward Ukiyoe town, well aware of the goofy grin he couldn't keep off his face. _Never thought she'd kiss me first. I have a feeling she's going to keep me on my toes._

Her impromptu question still puzzled him, but he was too tired to consider all the potential reasons she would have asked. _I'll have to remember to ask her tomorrow…_

* * *

Back at the clan house, Rikuo chatted with a few clan members briefly before making his way to his room, yawning and looking forward to some uninterrupted sleep. Just as he grasped his door to slide it open, a disembodied voice spoke, spooking him.

"So, how's your miko?"

Seemingly out of nowhere, his grandfather was standing next to him. _He probably did that intentionally…_

Rikuo turned to face Nurarihyon, crossing his arms. "Fine. But, seriously, old man, going to the cat sanctuary just to meet her?"

Nurarihyon pressed a hand to his chest, affecting innocence. "What do you mean? I went to see the cat sanctuary because I hadn't been there yet. I had completely forgotten she worked there till I arrived."

Rikuo tilted his head to one side. "Come on…that doddering old fool act isn't going to work on me. I know damn well you're not getting senile."

Nurarihyon shrugged and then grinned. "She is quite good-looking, spunky too. I can see why you like her." He pulled a bottle of sake out of his kimono sleeve. "Have a drink with me?"

 _So much for going straight to sleep… Ah well, no matter._ The sake might help him sleep anyway. "Sure, why not?"

They sat on the engawa outside Rikuo's room, and after taking a couple sips of his sake, Rikuo sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. "I can't explain it, _jiji_. I know I haven't known her for all that long, but there's just something about her… It's like…like I'm…" He trailed off, grasping for the words.

"Like you're intoxicated by her? Maddeningly so?" Nurarihyon's tone held no trace of teasing, and his expression was serious.

Rikuo's eyes widened. "Yes…actually, that's a pretty accurate description."

"And more than anything, you want to make her happy?"

"Yes…" _Where's he going with this?_

His grandfather suddenly barked a laugh, reaching over to ruffle Rikuo's hair affectionately, disregarding the scowl he received in return. "Oh, my _kawaii_ grandson. Not sure whether to congratulate you or offer condolences, but it looks like you're going to follow me and your father once again. Truthfully, being the Third Heir is probably an easier task…"

"Thanks. I think." Rikuo gave him a half smile. "So…you're okay with this? I mean, she's a miko…"

Nurarihyon rubbed his chin. "I already told you—if she turns out to be a threat, we'll handle it. But, hmm, well, I won't lie. You'll probably run into a bit of opposition over it. But hell, I did too with your grandmother." He grinned. "Setsura was _pissed_."

"How would you know? Setsura's always pissy. Truth be told, I'm pretty thankful Tsurara's not much like her mother. Anyway, Kagome… Let's not put the cart before the horse. I don't even know how she feels. No point in borrowing trouble."

His grandfather narrowed his eyes. "She involved with someone else?"

"Not that I know of…" It occurred to Rikuo that he _didn't_ know, and the thought sat uncomfortably with him. _Surely she wouldn't have kissed me if she was…_

"Well, even if she is, it's not like they'll be much competition," Nurarihyon said, smirking. "After all, who's gonna top the Lord of Pandemonium?"

Rikuo snorted. A valid point, but… "Dial it down, _jiji_. I don't even know if there _is_ competition." But he seriously hoped there wasn't. _We should probably talk about that…_

The two men drank their sake in silence for several moments, and then Nurarihyon hummed softly, stroking his chin again thoughtfully. "You know… Something about your miko seems oddly familiar."

"Oh?"

"It's not her face—I haven't met her before. And not her reiki either… I can't quite put my finger on it though… I don't know…"

" _Yare, yare_ …I take what I said earlier back." Rikuo grinned. "Maybe you _are_ getting senile."

"Oi!" Nurarihyon cuffed the back of Rikuo's head. "Respect your elder and pour me some sake. Tell me, how was Tōno?"

* * *

At some point during their conversation, Tsurara joined them, and once his grandfather wandered off to do gods-only-knows what, he and Tsurara sat in companionable silence. That being said, Rikuo didn't miss the looks she kept sneaking at him.

"Oi, Tsurara. You okay?"

Her golden eyes went wide. "Yes, fine!" It came out in a rush and higher pitched than he figured she had intended.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Look, if there's something on your mind, just tell me."

She flushed slightly and covered her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono. He waited patiently, and finally she mumbled, " _Anou_ …" She lowered her arm, but began fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve in her lap. "You seem more like yourself than you have been in a while, happier too, and of course that makes me happy, but I'm also worried…"

"Worried? About what Ryūji and I are investigating?"

"No. The miko."

 _Oh. No wonder she didn't know how to bring it up._ He held in a sigh. He'd known someone would broach the subject eventually. In some ways, he was relieved it was Tsurara.

"Are you sure that it's a good idea, Rikuo-sama? That she's safe?"

Rikuo smiled. "I suppose it depends on what you mean by 'a good idea,' but no, I'm not concerned about the fact that she's a miko. I trust her."

"It still worries me…" Tsurara said doubtfully. Then she returned his smile and added, "But I will trust you if you say she's safe, Rikuo-sama."

He knew she would too, for her faith in him had always been unshakeable, though at times he wasn't certain what he had done to warrant such unyielding loyalty. "Hey, if that allays your concerns, then trust in me. But I assure you—Kagome is not a threat to the Nura clan."

To his surprise, however, her eyebrows furrowed at his statement. "And to _you_?"

He laughed lightly. "What, are you asking if she's a threat to me? Tsurara…" He tsked. "You don't have to protect me anymore, you know."

"I will _always_ try to protect you," she said crossly. "It is my duty as your attendant, a member of your hyakki yakō"—she held up a hand as he started to protest—"and as your friend."

 _Well, damn. When she puts it like that…_ "Aw, hell, Tsurara," he said, scratching his cheek. "How'm I supposed to argue with that?" He didn't have to add, "when I feel the same way about you."

"You're not!" she replied, her expression brightening. "So…I heard from Zen-san that you won a bet with Itaku… What're you planning on asking him for?"

 _Apparently gossip about their_ Sandaime _travels fast…_ Nosy bunch, the whole lot of them. "Can you keep it a secret for now?" At her nod, he grinned. "Taking Kagome to Tōno."

"Ehhhhh? The miko? To Tōno? But, Rikuo-sama, why?"

"Because…" He thought of what his grandfather had mentioned earlier and shrugged. "I think it'll make her happy."

* * *

 ** _Sunday_**

The arrow hit the target with a light thwack, but Kagome sighed. Her aim was off today.

 _Maybe because you're thinking too much about last night and not concentrating?_

She rolled her shoulders and tilted her head from side to side, trying to work some of the tension out. She had hoped the repetitive motions of practicing her archery would help her relax, take her mind off of things. Instead, her mind kept wandering and her practice was suffering as a result.

Heaving another sigh of frustration when the next arrow missed the target entirely, Kagome flopped onto the ground, lying on her back, staring at the clouds scattered across the sky. Might as well face what was on her mind instead of trying to avoid it.

 _Which are you avoiding? The part where you kissed him? Or the part where you randomly asked him about time travel without any context? So much for reassuring him you weren't drunk. Can't you do anything right? Arghhhh…_ She hadn't been _that_ drunk—just her already poor impulse control emboldened by the alcohol, the drinks affording her a little liquid courage. But it wasn't like she had done something she didn't already want to do. Or ask, but still…

Her stomach tensed and knotted, and restless energy prickled throughout her limbs. What must he think of her? Hell, never mind that. What had she been thinking? _You have no clue how he'll react when you tell him the truth about yourself, yet you go and do something ridiculous like kissing him. What did you get yourself into? You know full well if he reacts poorly, it'll hurt that much more. Way to go, moron._

She sighed. She hadn't been thinking; that was the whole problem. She'd just acted, done what she wanted to do without considering the consequences. And damn if it hadn't felt good too. Not kissing him—though, yes, that had been _fantastic_ —but doing something without agonizing over the decision for days and days on end, without weighing every single detail against the worst possible outcome and determining whether it was worth it. But as was too often the case when she acted impulsively, her anxiety was more than happy to berate her and list practically infinite reasons why whatever she'd done was the end of the world.

What if he didn't believe her? Being open to the idea of time travel in theory was one thing; believing it when someone claimed they had done it was quite another. _He's liable to think you're nuts. I mean, come on, of all the things to try to convince him of, not only time travel, but also being the shikon miko? Talk about your delusions of grandeur._

And what if he told Natsumi, or worse, the entirety of his clan how insane she was? She'd lose him, likely her job, the yokai in her life, maybe even her friendship with Natsumi.

But then again, what if he did believe her? The thought sent warmth rushing through her, but at the same time, it had her heart clenching painfully. What if he did believe her, and she pursued whatever this was between them? What then?

She rubbed the heel of her palm against the ache in her chest, exhaling slowly, mindfully, against the panicky feeling that arose with old insecurities. What if she got hurt again?

 _Will he leave me for someone else? What if he's not interested in something serious? Hell, do I even want something serious?_

Stupid question.

 _Okay, but even if I do, that doesn't mean_ he _does. For all I know, he's seeing other people. And if he's not…what if… What if…_

Kagome sighed and sat up. The what-if game was pointless. She had to do it. She had to tell him, and she had to trust that he would believe her, or at least hear her out. She owed Rikuo that much—he'd never given her any indication he wasn't trustworthy. Plus, if he did want a serious relationship with her, she wouldn't want one built on falsehoods.

 _Besides, if he thinks I'm batshit crazy, well, I'd already resigned myself to an eternity—or however long I'll live—alone. Mulling this over again and again repeatedly serves no purpose._

Kagome massaged her temples, willing the self-doubt away. She would see him today, and she would tell him today, before she lost her nerve. Period.

An idea came to mind, and she snatched her phone up off the ground. An unanswered text from Natsumi momentarily distracted her.

 **Natsumi:** Rumor has it Rikuo-kun was in a really good mood when he got home last night…know anything about that? wink wink nudge nudge

Kagome normally would have laughed, but at present, she was a bit too nervous. She'd reply to Natsumi in a second, but first… She licked her lips, trying to draw moisture to her abruptly dry mouth, and took several deep breaths. "Okay, Kagome. You got this. Trust your instincts…you can trust him… It's going to be okay." She thought about the dream she'd had, what Inuyasha had said then, what her mom had said after.

 _Not to mention_ you _kissed_ him. _And, damnit, don't forget—curse or no curse, you're the shikon miko. Compared to all you faced back then, this is small fry._

Heart pounding, she sent a quick text to Rikuo.

 **Kagome:** Hey! I know we talked about going out to dinner, but would you mind coming over to my apartment instead? maybe sometime this afternoon? I need to talk to you about something important.

There. Done. _Fuck you, anxiety._

* * *

Rikuo was sitting outside with Kubinashi, catching up on things that had happened while he was in Tōno when the sound of a text notification drew his attention to his phone. _Kagome?_ Once he read the text, his stomach flip-flopped in his gut. _"I need to talk to you about something important." What the hell does that mean?_

Kubinashi leaned over and, after reading the message, let out a low whistle. "Ouch. In my experience with women, 'we need to talk' is never a good sign."

"She didn't say 'we need to talk.'" When Kubinashi rolled his eyes, Rikuo conceded. "I know, I know. Close enough."

"Who said 'we need to talk'?"

Rikuo glanced up to see his mom and Tsurara coming toward them, arms full of clean laundry. "Kagome. And she didn't say that exactly… She said, 'I need to talk to you about something important.'"

His mom pursed her lips briefly before giving him a sunny smile. "I'm sure it's nothing, dear." She patted him on the shoulder. "Here, I can take the laundry, Tsurara. Thank you."

Wakana started to leave and then stopped. "My advice to you, Rikuo, is listen. Actually listen, not think about how you're going to fix whatever it is you've done wrong." Then she was gone around the corner, leaving her son gaping like a fish and Kubinashi snickering.

"Who said I did anything wrong?"

Tsurara sat next to him, smiling encouragingly. "I'm sure you didn't, Rikuo-sama." A pause. " _Demo_ … If there's a chance that you did…" Another pause. "Wakana-sama is right."

Rikuo spread his arms wide, palms up. "Damnit, I didn't do anything wrong!"

A voice came from behind him. "Kid, the sooner you learn that as men, we do _everything_ wrong, the better off you'll be." His grandfather grinned.

Tsurara bristled, and the air surrounding them dropped several degrees. "I think that's a rather broad generalization, _sōdaishō_. You make it sound as if we're never happy." She leveled her gaze at Rikuo. "Don't worry too much, Rikuo-sama. If you say you did nothing wrong, then I believe you. But in the event you did, then I have no doubt that you are more than capable of apologizing and making the necessary amends." She stood and brushed off her kimono. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" Without waiting for anyone to reply, she strode off in the direction Wakana had gone.

The three men stared after Tsurara for a moment, and then Nurarihyon started laughing.

"Oi, Rikuo. What was it you said last night about her not being like Setsura?"

"Oh, I think Rikuo-sama's right about that," Kubinashi said, chuckling. "You wouldn't have gotten off so easily with Setsura. She'd have turned you into a popsicle."

His grandfather sat down with them, and while he and Kubinashi talked about nothing of great import, Rikuo replied to Kagome.

 **Rikuo:** Sure, that's fine. What time?  
 **Kagome:** Maybe 3 or 3:30ish? You sure you don't mind?

 _How can I mind when I have no idea what's going on?_

 **Rikuo:** of course I don't mind. but… should I be worried?

He frowned and erased the text, revising it.

 **Rikuo:** of course I don't mind. looking forward to seeing you

 _Whether she tells me that I shouldn't be worried or not…I'll still be worried._

* * *

While Kagome was subduing her anxiety and Rikuo was becoming more anxious, across town Ryūji glared at his phone after hanging up with one of his contacts at the Tokyo police department. A couple bodies had been found in Tochigi Prefecture earlier in the week, and someone apparently thought there could be a potential link to their investigation. Although he was plenty irritated they hadn't told him sooner, right now, he just wanted the case files, preferably as soon as possible. Which they were going to get to him. On Wednesday.

Maybe. Possibly Thursday or Friday.

 _"You have to understand, Keikain-san, these things take time. A few days shouldn't make that much of a difference."_

He ground his teeth. A few days most certainly _could_ make a difference, not that he expected them to comprehend that.

 _This fucking case…_ Piss-poor leads and one dead end after another. He also still had not heard anything back from that "cupcakesamurai" person on the Kiyojūji paranormal investigation, though as far as that lead was concerned, he wasn't holding his breath.

When his phone buzzed again, he snarled out loud, "What?" before looking down. _Oh_.

It was a text from Haruka saying, "Where you staying? I'll come to you."

* * *

It didn't take her long to arrive at his hotel, but when he opened the door, instead of ushering Haruka in, he gaped at her. Sure, he hadn't seen her in almost two years, but he hadn't expected her to dye her honey-brown locks a vibrant fiery red.

She thumped him under the chin. "Close your mouth, idiot. It's called hair dye." Then she shoved past him into the room, closing the door behind her, and, before he could react, she jerked him into a quick hug.

Ryūji tugged at her ponytail. "What brought that on?"

She lifted one shoulder, let it drop carelessly. "Bored and wanted something new. You look the same as ever… When're you gonna grow, shorty?"

His lips twitched. _Some things never change._

They settled outside on the miniscule balcony so Haruka could smoke. He still found it hard to believe that someone who knew as much as she did about all the health risks would engage in such a habit, but whenever questioned about it, she'd shrug and say something snarky about the inevitability of death.

"How'd you know I was in town?"

She took a drag off her cigarette and gave him a _look_. "Intuition, my chibi onmyoji."

"I've told you not to call me that," Ryūji snapped.

Haruka snorted, a puff of cigarette smoke curling from her nostrils. "You're an onmyoji. And you're so adorably short. Get over it."

He inhaled slowly, counting to ten, and exhaled equally slowly. Never mind that she couldn't have been more than an inch, _maybe_ two tops, taller than him. "Seriously, though."

"I was being serious. Guess I've got some kind of Ryūji radar, dunno. Does it matter?"

"Not particularly. So, that vampire shit you mentioned. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about, or something else?"

She exhaled slowly. "Yeah, that. Like I told you, we got a call about a guy who collapsed in his apartment. His roommate said he thought he just had a really bad stomach bug, but then he panicked when he found the guy passed out. He was maybe eighteen, nineteen. He came around, sort of, as we were starting to check him out, babbling about weird shit. Saying he was a vampire, that he needed blood. Tried to bite Kei, can you believe that shit?"

Haruka's partner was a tall, well-built guy who reminded Ryūji uncomfortably of Aotabō from the Nuragumi. From what he could tell, though, Kei was actually human. So the thought of some punk kid trying to bite him…

Ryūji snickered. "How'd that go over for him?"

She gave a short, gravelly laugh. "Kei didn't deck him like I thought he might. But lil man found himself restrained pretty damn fast after that. At first we thought drugs, or just a whackjob, but I got that feeling, ya know?" He nodded. "So I slapped one of your _ofudas_ on him, to see if it made any difference. It didn't. Had to sedate the bastard."

"And that worked?"

"Yup." Haruka shrugged. "Who knows. Anyway, long story short, turned out the kid had iron poisoning."

Ryūji's eyebrows flew up. "What? From…"

"Your best guess is as good as mine, but I'd be willing to bet drinking blood or cannibalism. Had his canines filed to points, even." She shuddered visibly, which surprised Ryūji. In her line of work, he knew she saw all kinds of weird stuff.

"That bad?"

"Yes and no. No, it's not the worst thing I've dealt with, even if I hate that the kid didn't make it. Just…the whole thing felt kinda hinky."

Ryūji cursed internally. So much for questioning the guy. Haruka read his expression and laughed. "Unless you're suddenly both a medium and an onmyoji, good luck, shorty."

"Shut up, princess. Anything else, anything _useful_ you can tell me?"

She stared at him for a moment, silent, before saying, "Ryūji…I could be wrong… But I swear, I think this guy truly believed he was a vampire. Up until we sedated him. I can't explain it." Then, she reached into her bag and tossed a file at him. "Anyway, you never saw this, we never talked."

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill." He resisted the urge to look at it now. He knew her well enough to know when she'd had her fill of "shop talk."

Haruka lit another cigarette. "How's Yura-chan? The guys?"

"They're fine. Yura is Yura."

"Oh?" She grinned, brown eyes lighting up. "My little Yura-chan pull one over on you recently or what?"

He grimaced and changed the subject. "Hey, you aware of anything else weird going on? Even outside of work?"

Haruka scrunched her face up like she always did when she was mulling something over. "Not off the top of my head, but you know me. I try to fly under the paranormal radar."

"You mean you're a wuss."

She rammed an elbow into his side, hard. "Not all of us want to run headlong into certain death, ya know. Nothing wrong with wanting a normal life."

"You? Normal?" He scoffed. "Please."

"You see, this is why I never miss you. You're a jackass." Despite her words, she smiled, one full of sisterly affection. "Anyway, why'd you ask? I won't join your little supernatural crime fighting gang, not gonna happen and never will, but is there something I need to be aware of?"

 _If she doesn't already know…ignorance is bliss, right?_ Yeah, right up until it got you killed. No, she needed to be informed, if for no other reason than so she could watch her back. "Yeah, actually, there is…"

He fired off a short text to Rikuo, telling him he better be back from roaming around aimlessly in the middle of nowhere and that he might have some news. Assuming this counted as news.

Then, he leaned back in his chair and began the rather lengthy task of filling in Haruka. "So, it's funny you should mention vampires… A few weeks ago…"

* * *

During the course of his explanation, Ryūji noticed Haruka growing more and more tense, one arm crossed over her chest, fingers drumming against her bicep. He assumed it was because of the topic, or perhaps even sympathy frustration for him since he had so very few promising leads on this case. However, when he finished telling her everything—including about Higurashi Kagome, his curiosity over her curse, and his research into her—the first words out of Haruka's mouth weren't about vampires or his case.

"So you not only blackmailed this miko girl into telling you about her curse, but you've also visited her shrine, questioned her family, used Keikain resources to investigate her, and then stalked her on campus?" Haruka's tone was devoid of the usual playful lilt it had when she spoke to him.

Her question irked him. _Why's she getting all pissy about a stranger?_ "I didn't _blackmail_ her. And 'stalking' is an exaggeration," Ryūji said defensively.

Haruka crushed the cigarette she'd been smoking in the ashtray and turned around to face him. Then, before he realized what had happened, she was in his face, her finger stabbing into his chest. "Listen here, you little asshole. And I don't mean that in a sweet sisterly way. Because, right now, you're being a grade-A asshole."

"Hey!" _What the fuck is her problem?_ "I am not—"

"Shut. Up. _Now_ ," Haruka snapped. "Your assholishness aside, you're out of line. _Beyond_ out of line—never mind as a decent human being, as a representative of the Keikain onmyoji organization."

"What the hell are you on about? Yura knows about my investigation into the miko."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You stupid bastard. Why do I doubt Yura knows the _real_ reason why you're looking into her? Lemme guess—you've led her to believe you think this Kagome girl has some sorta connection to the case when in reality, you're just indulging your own curiosity."

Ryūji shifted his gaze away from hers. The truth was…she wasn't wrong.

"Hmm. Guess I'm right then. So tell me this, Ryūji." Haruka paused until he made eye contact with her. "How would you feel if someone were digging around in _your_ private information? Nah, ya know what? I take that back. How would you feel if someone were doing to _Yura_ what you've been doing to this Kagome? Someone in a position of authority and power, like you are as a Keikain onmyoji?"

A flash of protectiveness and anger surged through Ryūji, and he clenched his teeth. "I suppose I wouldn't like it very much."

"'Wouldn't like it'?" Haruka snorted. "Bullshit. You'd track the asshole down and do your damnedest to intimidate or manipulate them into never even _thinking_ of Yura again, let alone snooping around or talking to her. Ryūji…" She lit another cigarette and took a long drag. Shaking her head as she exhaled, she said, "I'm pretty fucking disappointed in you. You've always been a manipulative jerk, but to act so unprofessional and unethical? To abuse your status and resources as an onmyoji? What is _wrong_ with you? You're supposed to protect people. Not be one of the things people need protecting from."

Her words hit him like a slap in the face. "Haruka… I…" He what? "I'm sorry," he said quietly. It wasn't a phrase he used often.

Haruka stood, still frowning. "That's all well an' good, but I'm not really the one you owe an apology. But I can tell you one thing." She grabbed her coat where it lay across the back of the chair and draped it over her arm. "Don't bother calling or texting till you get your head out of your ass."

She stalked through his hotel room and toward the door, tossing a halfhearted wave over her shoulder. Before she shut the door, she glanced back and said, "You owe Yura an explanation and an apology too. And if you won't tell her… _I will_."

Then she left, the sound of the door slamming shut making Ryūji wince.

As much as it pissed him the fuck off, Haruka was right—he had crossed some boundaries he shouldn't have. He couldn't have told you why he did it, but… _Does that even matter at this point?_

He looked between his cell phone and the case file Haruka had given him. He picked up the file and thumbed through it, eyes widening with interest at the mention of a tattoo the young man bore on his shoulder.

 _I'll deal with Kagome tomorrow._

* * *

Rikuo read the text from Ryūji and shoved his phone back into his pocket. _"Roaming around aimlessly." Asshat._ Texting the onmyoji could wait. He had more important things to do right now.

He stared at the door of Kagome's apartment before finally knocking, his stomach twisting uneasily with the uncertainty he felt over whatever it was that she wanted to discuss.

"Coming!"

Seconds later, the door swung open, and Kagome peeked from behind it. "Hey. Thanks for coming over."

She waved him inside, and as he slipped his shoes off in the tiny foyer, Rikuo glanced around. The foyer led to a narrow hallway immediately into the little kitchen area, which was open to a larger room with a small dining room table closest to the kitchen and a sofa and other living room furniture on the far side. The books piled on shelves as well as in stacks on the floor shouldn't have surprised him—they had met at the library, after all.

"Nice place."

She shrugged. "Thanks. It's home. I mean…the shrine is home, of course, too, but it's nice to have my own space, you know, it gives me privacy, plus it's quiet. Don't know what I'm going to do when my lease is up, probably move back to the shrine, even though…" Kagome trailed off and shook her head. "And I'm babbling…" She rubbed a hand up and down her arm.

 _Is she nervous? Why is she so nervous?_

She motioned toward the sofa. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks though." He perched on one end of the couch, watching as she grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, which she set on the coffee table. He expected her to sit next to him, but instead, she paced around the living room area, steepling her hands.

Rikuo's mouth suddenly went bone dry, a sour taste creeping up the back of his throat, and he regretted not taking her up on the offer for a drink.

"So…like I said, I need to talk to you about something."

" _Eto_ …" Rikuo rubbed at his neck anxiously. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Huh?" Kagome stopped pacing and stared at him. Then she let out a huge sigh and dropped her head, examining her sock-clad feet and laughing lightly. "Um… No. _You_ didn't, but I…kind of did."

He had no clue how the hell to interpret that. But just as he began to ask her to clarify the confusingly cryptic statement, she spoke quietly.

"The truth is…I haven't been completely honest with you since we met. And I'm sorry. So I'd like to fix that now, and tell you the truth—all of it."

A frisson of trepidation ran through Rikuo, and he swallowed hard. "About?"

Kagome lifted her gaze to meet his. "About me."

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

 **1.** Well, we finally made it to Kagome spilling the beans. Phew :-)

 **2.** A shout-out and thank you to **LovelyPolkaDots** for both reminding me that it doesn't matter if **_I_** don't condone the behavior of certain characters if they're not held accountable for their actions in the narrative, as well as for inspiring a lot of what Haruka says to Ryūji. It was already planned for Haruka to be in this chapter, and she was more than happy to be the one to hold Ryūji accountable. Can we hope for an attitude change from the irascible onmyoji? I'm not so sure about him doing a complete 180, but perhaps now he'll be a bit more professional/ethical, or at least think twice about crossing certain boundaries.

 **3.** A bit of good and bad news – I'm going to be moving in about a month or so, and while it's just to a different place across town, I'm going to be a basket case getting moved and settled and all that. So odds are pretty good my writing muse is going to go on an extended leave of absence. The good news is that I've got a significant chunk of the next chapter finished, so fingers and toes crossed, I can get that finished and posted before we move.

Those of you celebrating Easter, have a lovely Easter, and those of you who aren't, have a lovely weekend!


	21. Chapter 20

A HUGE thank you to my beta **sabina-san** (aka sabinasanfanfic on Tumblr) for your help on this chapter!

Here's chapter 20. Enjoy!

(Edit: had to fix some spacing with the italics bc this hell site decided to fuck it up... sorry if you read it before I fixed it...)

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"To begin with, take warning, I am surely far different from what you suppose;"  
 **–Walt Whitman** , "Are you the new person drawn toward me?"

"Courage is about learning how to function despite the fear, to put aside your instincts to run or give in completely to the anger born from fear. Courage is about using your brain and your heart when every cell of your body is screaming at you to fight or flee—and then following through on what you believe is the right thing to do."  
 **–Jim Butcher** , Ghost Story

* * *

 _"I'd like to fix that now, and tell you the truth—all of it."_

 _"About?"_

 _"About me."_

* * *

Kagome could tell she was making Rikuo edgy from how rigidly he sat on the sofa, his eyes tracking her fidgeting and restlessness like a predator watching its prey. If she hoped to ever put them both at ease, it was probably best to quit pacing.

She sat down on the opposite end of the couch and wrapped her arms snugly around her calves, hugging her knees to her chest.

 _Here we are and I'm finally ready to tell him everything, and I have no idea what to say first._ "I'm sorry… I don't really know where to start," she said, voicing her thoughts out loud.

Rikuo shifted to face her, his brows forming a deep V over brown eyes dark with concern. "Well, I can't help you there, blue eyes, but I can tell you that you're kinda worrying me."

 _Fan-fucking-tastic, Kagome. Well done making this more uncomfortable than it already was._

"Am I? Sorry." A stray strand of hair tickled the back of her neck, and she brushed it away distractedly. "This is just really hard, and I know I'm not making any sense at all…"

"Is this about…us?"

 _Us?_ The question, combined with the faint unexpected note of insecurity underlying it, caught her off guard. "What? No, why?" _I guess in theory, yes, but I doubt that's what he means. What_ does _he mean though? And what does he mean by "us"?_

Rikuo averted his gaze, his casual shrug incongruent with the stiffness in his spine. "Uh, I guess… Well, the, uh, whole 'we need to talk' thing… Just wondered if maybe you regretted what happened last night… Or if you're seeing someone else, or…"

"Oh…" Kagome chuckled awkwardly. "No. No regrets, at all, and no, I'm not seeing someone else. Sorry for being so vague. I'm just…" She breathed in deeply and blew it out slowly. "Nervous."

Some of the tension left Rikuo, and he brought his gaze back to hers, giving her a slow smile. "I'm glad there's no one else. I've no intention of sharing you…"

Her stomach fluttered, although a small part of her wondered how she could even tell, given that it had been roiling and agitated for hours. _I don't want to share him either._ And in spite of all her earlier insistence to herself, to not get in too deep before he knew the truth, she had to know. "So…are you, um, seeing anyone else?"

The look that he gave her then sent a wave of happiness through her while simultaneously impaling her heart with an icepick. _Don't_ , she thought frantically. _Don't say those words. Don't go there, please. You can't. You don't know who I really am…_

Fate evidently opted to take pity on her, for instead of a confession, all Rikuo said was, "Only you, blue eyes. Only you."

Kagome closed her eyes, drawing on all the courage she had and had once had. The bravery of a girl who traveled to the past and stood unflinching in the face of danger. _You can do this._

When she reopened her eyes, Rikuo was watching her, his earlier apprehension having returned somewhat, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Look, the reality is there's no easy way to explain this, and it's going to seem like I'm nuts, but please, I'm begging you. Just hear me out." _And that probably didn't help him relax any…_

Rikuo nodded slowly.

Shifting her legs, she sat cross-legged, pulling a throw pillow into her lap and clutching it to her chest. "Are you familiar with the legend of the shikon no tama?"

"Somewhat, mostly what you've told me when we talked about your independent study."

Kagome didn't know if his superficial knowledge would help or hinder her in this. She took a deep breath, steeling herself as she let it out. "About that… There's a reason that's my focus. You see…when I was fifteen… No, actually, hang on. Let's start at the very beginning. In case you weren't aware, the shikon no tama did, in fact, exist. Do you know the story of how the sacred jewel came to be?"

His posture gradually relaxing, Rikuo lifted one hand and cupped his chin, thinking for a moment. "No…I don't think so, and I know you haven't mentioned it. Like I said, I really know the tale only in passing, not specifics." He gave her a crooked grin. "Guess I should've let Kōga tell me his stories when I was there the other day."

Kagome's eyes widened, and she gulped in air. "Kōga?" She tried to keep her voice even—she didn't know for sure it was _her_ Kōga he was referring to. _Right, keep telling yourself that…_

"Yeah, he's a wolf yokai, part of the Nura clan. According to Kōji—his grandson—he met the shikon miko back then." Rikuo paused, grin still in place. "Maybe when I take you to Tōno, we can go by the wolf clan's place."

Oh, holy hell, it _was_ her Kōga. She tried to return his smile, but her anxiousness made it difficult. His smile faded, and he leaned toward her, placing a hand on her knee. "Or not. It's completely up to you, okay? No pressure."

"It's not that, it's just… I…" _No._ _Don't go there yet. One step at a time._ "Well, I'll get there. So, back to the creation of the jewel."

She explained about Midoriko and the birth of the shikon no tama, and then how many years later, the jewel was discovered by a yokai taijiya, who subsequently entrusted it to Kikyō.

"Kikyō was a miko who lived in a small village just outside Edo… My family's shrine is on the site where hers was."

Rikuo raised an eyebrow, as if to say "I assume that's important," but he didn't interrupt.

Kagome continued, telling him about Kikyō's ability to purify the corruption in the sacred jewel, how yokai everywhere lusted after the jewel and the power it represented, and how one particular hanyō named Inuyasha wanted the jewel, initially so that he could become a full yokai. As she told Kikyō and Inuyasha's story of love and betrayal, and that of the bandit Onigumo who became the hanyō Naraku, her chest ached, literally and figuratively. She shut her eyes and paused for a moment, rubbing her palm against her heart.

Fingers brushed the knuckles of her other hand, which was gripping the pillow in her lap tightly, and she opened her eyes to meet Rikuo's worried gaze. "Oi…I won't pretend to understand the significance, though clearly this _is_ important. But I don't want you to feel forced to tell me… You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Kagome exhaled harshly. "No, I do. I want to, and I _need_ to. But…thank you."

He nodded and sat back so she could continue.

 _Well, here goes…_ A surge of determination to put all the falsehoods behind them overrode the gut-churning anxiety she felt.

"So Inuyasha was sealed by Kikyō's arrow to the Goshinboku, the same one you saw when you visited our shrine."

"The inu-yokai sealed to the Goshinboku that your grandfather mentioned?" Rikuo asked.

"Heh, the very same. I'm going to assume _jii-chan_ didn't mention he was only sealed there for roughly fifty years or how he got unsealed. Anyway, per Kikyō's request, the shikon no tama was burned with her remains. It disappeared for nearly five hundred years—I'll get to when, and where, it reappeared in just a second. On my fifteenth birthday, while looking for my cat Buyo, I went into the well house—do you remember that from when you visited? The Bone-Eater's Well?"

His eyes narrowed fractionally. "Yes. And…don't take this the wrong way, but it seemed like there was more to the well than your grandfather was letting on."

She couldn't help it—she laughed. An ugly, bitter thing utterly bereft of all humor. "Very perceptive. He most certainly was hiding something. You see, on that day, a massive centipede demon was revived by the power of the sacred jewel, and she dragged me down into the Bone-Eater's Well with her. In doing so, she launched us back in time to the Sengoku Era, not that I realized it right away. Hence my stupid random-ass question about time travel last night."

Kagome stopped speaking and pressed her face into the pillow she held, unable to look at him, not wanting to see the disbelief in his eyes when he didn't believe her. Scrunching the pillow with her fists, heart pounding, she waited for his objections, the ridicule, or perhaps even anger that she would concoct such a ludicrous story.

"And?"

She snapped her head up. "What do you mean, 'And'?" _Does…does he actually believe me?_ A tiny sapling of hope sprouted and unfurled its leaves within her.

"I mean…" He spread his hands wide in a helpless gesture, giving her one of his half grins. "What happened next?"

The blossoming hope gave way to incredulous joy, and she gaped at him. "I…" Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to speak. "I'm… I'm sorry. It's… To be honest…I wasn't sure you'd believe me. Kinda expected you to think I was nuts, actually. We're talking godsforsaken _time travel_ , Rikuo."

Rikuo's expression softened, and he scooted closer to her on the sofa. Taking her hand in his, he laced their fingers together, squeezing hers slightly. "Kagome, listen to me. I told you last night—after all I've been through in my own life, I'd be a fool to discount the possibility of something like time travel. So, unbelievable? Not exactly. Is it weird? Hell yes. But so is the fact that my dad's first wife's body was used to reincarnate Hagoromo Gitsune…"

 _Say what now?_ It took a second for his statement to register, but before she could even think to ask, he'd already begun speaking again.

"More importantly, this is _you_. Why should I doubt you? What on earth do you stand to gain by lying to me about something like this?"

He _believed_ her.

Rikuo actually believed her.

Her whole world spun, and her throat tightened, vision blurring. Then she smiled, a shaky giggle escaping her. "Thank you. Thank you…so…so…much." She sagged against his shoulder as the burden she'd been carrying was finally lifted and dizzying relief rushed through her. _I feel as weightless as if I were one of Kagura's feathers. Holy shit._

"I'm…" Happy tears welled up and spilled over despite her attempts to blink them back. "Sorry, I—" she choked out, but Rikuo cut her off.

"You've nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry you thought I wouldn't believe you. Tissues?"

"Kitchen." She gestured vaguely in the right direction, and when he released her hand and got up, presumably to get the box of tissues, she pressed her hands against her face, willing the damned tears to go away. _Okay, you made it past the first hurdle. Still more to go. Don't get giddy just yet… And knock it off with the waterworks. If you fall apart now, you'll_ never _get through the whole thing._

The sofa dipped, and she glanced up as Rikuo held out the box of tissues. "Thanks." Once she dried her eyes, the entire time still smiling like a damned fool, she said sheepishly, "Sorry…"

"Oi, oi, what did I just say about that?"

"Oh, right, I'm so—" She stopped when he looked at her sternly. "Shit. I'm trying, okay?"

"I know. Hey, uh, not to get ahead of things too much, but all this isn't by any chance linked to your curse, is it? Ryūji might have mentioned something about it."

"Of course he did…" _Asshole._ Kagome wrinkled her nose. "But yes, it is related. I'll get there…eventually."

"And the hanyō, Inuyasha? I don't suppose he's the one you mentioned your grandfather met?"

Kagome startled. She had forgotten that she'd mentioned that Rikuo wasn't the first hanyō her grandfather had met when they'd been studying at the cat sanctuary. She nodded. "Yes…he was one of my best friends…" _An understatement…_ "And at the risk of sounding repetitive, I'll get there."

Rikuo chuckled and leaned back against the sofa. "Understood. I'll shut up now."

Kagome resumed her tale, and when she got to the part where Mistress Centipede bit her, ripping the shikon no tama out, she lifted her shirt, showing him the silvery jagged scar on her abdomen. "It didn't scar as badly as it could have, considering the wound was treated in the sixteenth century." She smiled slightly, thinking of Kaede.

"A yokai did this to you?" To her surprise, Rikuo seemed angry, his jaw tight, hands fisted in his lap.

"Yeah. Obviously not a very nice one." She shivered at the memory. "Anyway, I didn't find out till a little later, but the reason the sacred jewel was inside me is that apparently, I am…was Kikyō's reincarnation."

"What?" His eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. I'll explain that in more detail in a bit." Her stomach lurched. She wasn't especially looking forward to revisiting _that_ experience. Nor all the emotions she'd felt back then when it came to Kikyō and Inuyasha. _You're okay, Kagome. It's all in the past. Literally…_

She kept going, pausing briefly when she got to the part where she had tied the carrion crow's leg to the arrow and wound up shattering the jewel. The old guilt bubbled up inside her again. _If only I hadn't done something so stupid. There's no telling what could have been avoided if I hadn't broken the damn thing._

Her internal self-denigration must have shown on her face because Rikuo frowned. "You had no way of knowing it would break. Personally, I think it was rather clever."

She shrugged. "I certainly thought so at the time, right up until it splintered into a bajillion pieces. I still feel responsible for so much that happened because of those damned shards. Anyway, as I guess you can figure out…because I felt guilty and was responsible, I wanted to help fix it… Thus beginning the journey to find the shards and repair the shikon no tama." She blew out a breath. "Which makes me the shikon miko. Yippee."

Rikuo stared blankly at her for a moment, then shook his head, giving a low chuckle. "You know, I've known you were special ever since we met, but I can honestly say I did not see that coming. _The_ shikon miko."

"Yup!" She gave him two thumbs up and a brief forced smile. "That's me. The legendary priestess. Hard to believe, right?"

"Not as hard to believe as I think you expect. Still…that's…pretty damned impressive. So…does that mean I should call you Kagome-sama?" he asked with a playful grin.

The corners of her lips curved downward, and she dropped her gaze to her lap. "Please don't. Please. One of my friends from then…Miroku, the hōshi, he…"

"I'm sorry, blue eyes. Probably not the best time to tease… Forgive me?"

She felt his hand against hers, the barest featherlight touch, as though he were offering it in apology, or perhaps for support but didn't want to be pushy. It occurred to her then how much she had missed physical affection after so many years of—literally and figuratively—holding people at arm's length.

She put the pillow in her lap aside and took his hand, entwining their fingers before looking up at him. "It's fine. You couldn't have known. Anyway…where was I? Oh, right, the jewel had just shattered."

Kagome talked and talked. And talked some more. From Yura of the Hair—whose name, for some reason, amused Rikuo—to the black pearl in Inuyasha's eye and his father's grave, her pulling out the Tessaiga and Inuyasha whacking off Sesshōmaru's arm. To meeting Shippō, and how he eventually became like a younger brother to her, to Urasue kidnapping her and resurrecting Kikyō, and in the process tearing out a chunk of Kagome's soul.

"Hold up. She took a piece of your _soul_?"

Bile inched up her throat, and Kagome swallowed thickly. She took a sip of her water before replying. "Yeah… It was…unpleasant." An understatement.

The stunned expression Rikuo wore might have been amusing in another context. "Did you get it back?"

Undesired memories sprang to the forefront of her mind. _Kikyō's death. Her own helplessness. Inuyasha losing his mind with grief before collapsing, Kagome holding him as he broke down and sobbed. The shadows that never left him afterward, the emptiness in his eyes._

"Um…yes. I did." She didn't add that she suspected she'd lost that piece again when she made her wish to revive Kikyō.

She told him about meeting Miroku and Hachi, losing her chronological train of thought momentarily as she described Miroku's penchant for women and some of his misadventures because of that. Then on to them fighting Sesshōmaru again and their first encounter with those fucking saimyōshō, to the first of many of Kikyō's reappearances and Inuyasha's preoccupation with her. Meeting Sango and Kirara, explaining her and Kohaku's tragic backstories.

"Kirara?" Rikuo interrupted. "As in the name of the kitten at the cat sanctuary?"

Kagome felt her face grow warm. "Yes… It's silly, but the kitten resembles Kirara a lot. Minus the whole being a yokai and two tails…and red eyes. Okay, so 'a lot' is a stretch. It's not an exact resemblance, but—"

He put a finger over her lips. "Stop. It's not silly at all. I was just curious if that was where her name came from."

"Oh." _Defensive much?_ Reliving her time in the Sengoku era as she told Rikuo had her emotions all over the place, and she knew, mentally and emotionally, she was as hypersensitive as an exposed nerve. "Sorry."

She got a tight squeeze to her hand in reprimand, and she smiled. "Sorry for saying sorry."

Rikuo swiped a hand through his hair, making her think of his yokai form and that impossibly long hair, hair she longed to touch. _Save it for later, idiot. Focus._

"Oi, blue eyes. You're missing the entire point! Quit apologizing already. Besides, _I_ should apologize for interrupting. Please, continue."

And so she did. When she got to the part about how she met Kōga, and that she suspected he and Rikuo's clan member were one and the same, Rikuo's jaw dropped. "You're kidding. Kōga? Eastern ōkami clan Kōga?"

Kagome nodded. "Blue eyes, black hair in a ponytail—well, at least that's how he wore it back then—fangs, pointy ears. Followed around by Ginta and Hakkaku?"

"Sounds like him. I don't know Hakkaku, but I do know Ginta. Shit, now I'm definitely regretting not hearing his stories!"

Kagome's heart fell a little at his comment about Hakkaku. _It doesn't necessarily mean what you think it means. Maybe he moved somewhere else, went off to do his own thing…_

"So he had a thing for you, huh? Wanted to make you his woman?" Rikuo asked, a glint in his eyes.

Kagome groaned. "Oh no… No. Stop that. I dealt with enough of Inuyasha and Kōga's bickering then. Besides, you've nothing to worry about…he…doesn't remember me."

"What are you talking about? He remembers you."

"No…he remembers the shikon miko. A priestess. Not _me_." She sighed. "It's skipping ahead quite a bit, but I guess I better explain my curse so you understand why I say he doesn't remember _me_ specifically. Spoiler—all the shards get found and the jewel made whole again and we defeated Naraku. Afterward…"

When she'd finished explaining about the wishes and her bargain with the shikon no tama, it was more than she could take. She'd spent going on two hours already talking about her past, ripping open old—albeit poorly healed—wounds, and even though she wasn't close to being finished telling him everything, even though Rikuo believing her filled her with both relief and joy, her tenuous hold on her composure shattered. Head bowed, she clenched her hands, fingernails digging into her skin, biting her bottom lip to try to contain the sobs that shook her body. It was a pointless effort.

 _Even after all these years… Gods, why does it have to hurt so damned much?_

Strong arms wrapped around her, and impulsively, Kagome turned toward him and buried her face in his chest, clutching his shirt in her hands, needing that physical connection. A reminder that, no, she wasn't as alone as she felt.

Rikuo ran a hand down her hair and back in soothing, rhythmic motions, remaining blessedly silent and letting her get it out of her system.

When the sobs gave way to sniffles, she released his shirt, scrubbing her face and burning eyes with a forearm, and tipped her head back to look at him. "I'm—"

His brows furrowed. "Don't you dare apologize."

She glanced at his shirt, which was soaked with her tears. She gestured at it. "But your shirt—"

"Will dry. Damnit, Kagome, you're allowed to be upset about this. Hell, _I'm_ upset about this for you. I am so sorry. I can't imagine what it would feel like to not only lose my clan, my friends, but to also know that if I did see them again, they wouldn't remember me."

"Yeah…" She took a shuddering breath, hating how pathetic she felt by being overwhelmed by her emotions, how vulnerable telling her story made her feel. "It was…is…hard."

"'Hard'? _Tch._ Why do I feel like that doesn't even remotely come close?" He cupped her cheeks in his hands briefly, eyes searching her face. "Hey. This…what you're telling me. You've never told anyone, have you?"

"Well, my family knows about the time travel and about part of the curse, me being forgotten and the well no longer working. And I sort of told Natsumi a little about it…but only the forgetting me aspect …I was too much of a chicken to tell her the whole story. So…yeah, I guess you're the only one I've told the actual truth to. Or almost, since I'm not finished yet." She smiled wryly.

Rikuo smiled back, a gentle curving of his lips unlike his usual cheeky grin. "I know I need to let you finish. And I will. But…"

Suddenly she found herself crushed against him, his arms tightening around her, and he kissed the crown of her head before resting his chin there. "I'm not saying I have a clue what the things you've gone through feel like. But…as far as the keeping secrets, living a double life…I get it, I really do. Same with…" She heard an audible swallow. "Same with the thought of outliving your family and friends."

"Natsumi-chan said she thought you might," she whispered as she looped her arms around him.

For several moments, neither spoke. For her part, Kagome began to relax as she listened to his heart beat and breathed in the scent of him, the same wood smoke and sakura she'd noticed the night before mingling with the salt from her tears. She found the smell—his entire presence really—soothing, and as emotionally exhausted as she already was, combined with not having eaten since breakfast, she knew if she weren't careful, she'd fall asleep.

As if on cue, her stomach growled. Loudly.

 _Awkward._

Rikuo's resulting laughter vibrated through her, and since he couldn't see the small grin on her face, she poked him in the ribs and feigned indignation. "Um, excuse you. Rude."

When he only laughed harder, she added a spark of reiki to her poke. His yelp made her snicker.

"You're evil."

She leaned back to look at him, well aware she probably looked completely unrepentant. _Or just a hot mess from all the crying…_ "Perhaps. Or perhaps that's…hmm… How might you put it? Oh, right. 'Anti-miko yokai propaganda.'"

His lips quirked into a half grin. "Nice. So, propaganda—of any kind—aside, how about we figure out something for dinner and then you can finish." He thought for a second and said, "Want me to go pick up something? Maybe oden? I don't mind…"

Kagome clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "Really? Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

* * *

Roughly an hour later, Rikuo returned, takeout bags in hand, and Kagome bounced off the sofa. _Woohoo! Oden!_

He chuckled. "Hungry?"

"Mmmhmm. Thanks for going to get it."

"Of course. I really didn't mind. Plus…" He glanced at her. "It's your favorite, right? I thought you might need some comfort food, all things considered."

 _He remembered!_ Kagome's stomach did a strange flip-flop at the thought. "It is. Thank you." Then she did a double-take. In her excitement over the oden, she hadn't noticed at first, but now she saw that the Rikuo who had returned was decidedly more yokai in appearance than the one who had left.

At her inquisitive look, he answered, "Training."

 _Oh, right._ He'd explained that before.

"And…I could get the food back to you more quickly," he added, one side of his mouth curving upward.

Her heart mimicked the somersault her stomach had done moments before. "Oh…" On impulse, she raised up on her tiptoes and briefly pressed her lips to his.

When she stepped back, Rikuo wore a look of surprise before smirking. "Well, hell, blue eyes. I should bring you food more often."

"Oh, shut up…" Kagome felt her face flush, and she cleared her throat as she motioned toward the bags. "Shall we?"

Food in hand, they settled back in the living room. As they ate, Kagome stole sidelong glances at Rikuo's hair, her fingertips itching with the rekindled desire to rake her hands through it. She didn't realize that Rikuo had noticed until they were done eating and he said, "Go ahead."

"Huh?"

He shrugged. "You've been eyeballing my hair ever since I got back. So either there's something in it, or you want to touch it. I'm guessing the latter."

 _Nope, that's not embarrassing as all… Oops._ "Um…" _Oh fuck it—he said I could._ Scooting closer to him on the sofa, she slid her hand into the surprisingly soft white-and-black hair, scraping her fingernails against his scalp lightly before combing her fingers down the full length.

Rikuo gave a contented sigh, his eyes fluttering closed for a brief second. Then, he peeked at her, almost shyly, and said, "Can I just…"

His hands gripped her hips as he pushed her back on the sofa, and then, to her surprise, he laid his head in her lap. "Okay."

Kagome laughed. "I take it you like this then?"

His brow crinkled slightly, as pale pink dusted his cheeks. "Actually, I usually don't like people touching my hair. I mean, with Mom or Tsurara, I don't really mind because it's them, and it makes _them_ happy, but with you…" He trailed off and then grinned up at her. "It's different."

His simple remark filled her with pleasure, and more than a hint of self-satisfaction. _Take that, Rika._

As Kagome resumed the lengthy process of finishing her story, for a while she continued to run her fingers through his hair, the action giving her an outlet for the nervous energy coursing through her. Twice she paused to make hot tea to soothe her dry throat and increasingly hoarse voice, and several times her emotions overwhelmed her, and she had to take a break. Rikuo occasionally asked a question or two, but for the most part, he listened, his attention completely devoted to her. Which was helpful, for once she got going, the words just poured out of her, a deluge she wasn't sure she could have controlled even if she had wanted to.

Over three hours later, a little after ten thirty, she was finally done.

"So…there you have it. My past. The legend of a girl who traveled through time, unwittingly became the miko of legend, made dear friends and lost dear friends—human, yokai, and hanyō—all the while hunting for shards of that damned jewel. A story with magic and curses and betrayal…so many twists and turns, it might as well be fiction. Oh, and of course don't forget the whole 'save the world from the wannabe evil overlord Naraku' part." It came out more bitter than she had intended.

 _Am I bitter?_ Perhaps. Likely for more than one reason. At any rate, she'd certainly run the gamut of all other emotions throughout the evening, so why not add a few more?

Rikuo sat next to her silently for several minutes, perhaps processing everything—it was a lot to take in, after all—but the lingering shame and fear Kagome had felt prior to telling him the truth reemerged, threatening to drown out the relief. He believed her, yes, but what would he think of her now that he knew she was not only a liar but also a coward for being afraid to be honest?

"You've been through hell, haven't you?" His voice drew her out of her thoughts. "I wish you had told me sooner is what I'd like to say, so you wouldn't have had to cope all alone, but I get it… It's really fucking hard to reveal a secret like that."

"You don't think I'm…" She flinched when her voice cracked. "A coward or terrible for lying to you?"

"Kagome…" Rikuo's expression was pained, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. She curled into his embrace, welcoming his warmth to ward off the loneliness she had endured for so very, very long.

"I told you about the first time I went to Tōno, right? How my grandfather sent me to learn about Fear, to improve enough so I wouldn't die in Kyoto?" She nodded, and he continued. "Well, the reason I didn't know what amounted to basic yokai fundamentals, that most yokai learn practically as toddlers, was partly my grandfather's fault—for sheltering me after Dad died—and partly my own."

She listened intently as Rikuo explained how he went from a child proud of his yokai heritage to ashamed of it, and how that denial of such an integral part of himself led to an internal schism and having almost two personalities for a time. How he didn't really heal from that inner divide and become whole again until he had not only accepted his yokai side, but also his human side, plus finally telling his friends the truth about himself. "But until I revealed that truth, I did everything possible to hide my identity from my friends, even enlisting my hyakki yakō's help to conceal my secret. Was I terrible or a coward for doing so?"

"No," Kagome said, "but that's different."

Rikuo bent back to look her in the eyes, one eyebrow arched. "How?"

"Well, your friend Yura is an onmyoji, so obviously hiding it from her was to protect yourself and your clan. And with Kiyotsugu and the others, well, considering they'd originally doubted and mocked you for claiming to be Nurarihyon's grandson— Can I just take a second to say how stunned I am that Kiyotsugu started out as a staunch yokai denier? Anyway, taking that into account, I would have been hesitant to tell them myself."

Rikuo grinned. "And you can't see how that's not _that_ different from _your_ fear that you wouldn't be believed?"

 _Oh, that sneaky bastard._ She shrugged his arm off her shoulders and crossed her arms. "Hmph. Maybe." But warmth trickled through her with his reassurance, beginning to melt the shame that had kept her frozen in fear, preventing her from showing her true self for too many years.

Without warning, Rikuo stiffened. "Oi… When did you say you returned, permanently?"

"Eight years ago, give or take a few months. Why?"

He looked poleaxed. "Fucking hell, blue eyes. That was _you_?"

 _What on earth is he talking about?_ Kagome cocked her head to one side. "What was me?"

"Roughly eight years ago—Tsurara could probably tell you precisely when—there was a massive random power surge, both reiki and youki. We investigated, of course, as we were worried it could've meant a resurgence of Seimei or the Hundred Stories clan. One of the things we did was visit the area the power surge seemed to come from—including a local shrine. Your shrine. When Tsurara and I went by a few weeks ago, she remembered it as the shrine from back then, and we thought it was strange, probably not a coincidence, but I don't know why I didn't think that the incident could've involved _you_ …"

She'd had a connection to Rikuo since that far back? Shock filled her as Rikuo continued speaking. "Especially since we met your grandfather then—again, I don't know why my dumb ass didn't realize. He was extremely distracted eight years ago, apologizing and explaining that his granddaughter had been hospitalized and was in a coma."

She nodded. "Yeah, I was in a coma for about a week. Mama, Sōta, and _jii-chan_ were all pretty freaked out."

"Well, obviously, and for good reason, too. Damn, I can't believe after all this time…" Rikuo shook his head in disbelief. She could sympathize, still stunned herself. "I have to ask, though—how is it that you're just now finding yokai? I mean, I'm assuming that's the case given your reaction last week when I told you I was a yokai."

Kagome averted her gaze, fidgeting with a tissue, tearing it into tiny pieces. "Well…I kind of avoided it. It all hurt so much, I just couldn't deal with it. So I didn't. I blocked out everything even remotely related to my time in the Sengoku period, and basically pulled an ostrich."

Rikuo snorted. "Ostrich?"

She shrugged. "Stuck my head in the sand and pretended nothing was out there and none of it ever happened. Wouldn't let my family speak of it. I kind of…shut down. Tried to be numb. For years. As much as I hate to admit it, it really wasn't until I met that asshat onmyoji friend of yours that I finally snapped out of it."

"Ryūji?" Rikuo frowned. " _Tch_. Meeting me didn't have any impact?"

She laughed and nudged him with her elbow. "Just because you weren't the boot in my ass to get me to actually see to what was around me doesn't mean you haven't affected me."

"That so, hmm? And how exactly have I affected you?" A slow smirk spread across his face.

Oh, he'd had an effect on her all right… She bit her lip. Holy hell, no one had any right looking as sinfully delicious as he did. _Fuck, Kagome. He's a man, not a sundae._

Wrenching her mind back on track—and far, far away from any thoughts involving Rikuo and chocolate syrup—she elected to change the subject. There was something she'd hoped to do in the event that he believed her story, and it was as good a time as any to bring it up. "Can I show you something?"

"Of course," he replied without hesitation.

She knew it was a little silly, but for whatever reason, she felt this burning need to show him her Sengoku-era keepsakes. To share with him as much as she could. To be as open and honest as possible. She retrieved the lockbox from where she'd stashed it in her bedroom when she had returned from the shrine earlier, and he raised an eyebrow as she carried it into the room.

Kagome smiled. "You'll see."

She sat back on the couch next to him and set the box in her lap. Then, she scrolled the dials to the right combination and raised the lid to reveal the myriad items within. Rikuo peered over with interest.

With careful fingers, she gingerly removed the precious mementos from her friends. As she held one up, she saw Rikuo's crimson eyes grow wide.

"Wait… Is that…?"

Kagome nodded. "These are—were—Inuyasha's subjugation beads." She gave him an impish grin. "Wanna see how they work?"

"Uh, thanks, but no thanks."

She clicked her tongue against her teeth. "You're no fun…"

She set the rosary aside and pulled out an acorn and a leaf, both still as new as if she'd plucked them off a tree yesterday. "I got these from Shippō."

"The kitsune, right?"

"Yep! Pretty amazing they haven't decayed at all, huh?" She handed them to him, and he ran his fingertips over them.

"They're infused with his Fear, his kitsune youki. I would imagine if they had not time traveled with you, they would have lost their magic by now." He gave her a half grin. "But then, I guess you probably already know that."

She shrugged. She had figured as much, but it was always nice to have confirmation. "Oh, this came from Miroku." She held up the handwritten sutra.

Rikuo shook his head. "I'm not going to touch that."

"Don't tell me the Nuragumi supreme commander is afraid of one little _ofuda_!"

"Hardly." At her doubtful look, he explained, "The less it's handled, the less it'll degrade. I'm simply trying to be respectful."

She eyed him. _Huh. I think he's actually telling the truth._ Since they were on the topic of delicate items, she fished out Kirara's whisker and the pressed flower from Rin.

"Is it weird I kept a cat's whisker?" she asked, suddenly a teeny bit self-conscious.

"Why would it be weird? Don't some people keep locks of hair from loved ones?" He shrugged. "Besides, it's not like it was just some random cat."

"No…" she said softly. "No, it wasn't. She was pretty amazing. I wish you could have met her, met all of them…" It seemed fitting to follow Kirara's whisker with the keepsake from Sango, and she handed him the seashell-shaped container.

He opened it cautiously, taking a quick sniff, and then closed it back with equal care. "What is it?"

"A medicinal salve she made. Really great stuff. I mean, it wouldn't heal a wound on the spot, but especially considering the time period, it was pretty impressive." Kagome sighed. "I wish I'd gotten the recipe from her." _So many impossible wishes…_

Rikuo handed the salve back to her, and then folded one arm across his chest, resting his chin in the other hand. "Hmm…I make no guarantees, but Zen might be able to analyze it, give you an idea of the ingredients."

"Really?" _It's probably stupid, but for some reason, the thought of recreating it makes me so happy…_

"Like I said, I can't promise that he'll be able to, but if you don't mind him taking a little of it, he can certainly try."

A huge smile spread across her face, and on a whim, she set the lockbox aside and threw her arms around Rikuo. "Thank you!"

His arms encircled her and squeezed tight. "Uh…you're welcome? I didn't do anything."

"Sure you did, _baka_. You've done lots of things. You _believed_ me, you listened to my word vomit for hours on end, then you brought me oden, and now you've offered to ask Zen to analyze Sango's salve. You have no idea how much that means to me." An unexpected pang of grief hit her, and she blinked against the stinging in her eyes. Fucking hell, her emotions were all over the place. And how did she still even have any tears left with which to cry? Her tear ducts should be a veritable desert by now.

The words slipped out involuntarily. "I miss them." She hiccupped, trying to hold back a sob. "I miss them so, _so_ much."

"I know."

As the tears burned her cheeks, Kagome clenched her jaw in frustration. _Always with the fucking crying. Enough already._ "Sorry… It's… I…I don't talk about them much. At all. But, honestly, it's nice to be able to."

Rikuo hummed in agreement and stroked a hand down her back. "I'm sure it is. They meant a lot to you."

"Gods yes. They were…they were more than friends; they were like family. And Inuyasha… He was… I…" She tilted her head back, resting her chin on his chest, and closed her eyes, sighing heavily. _Might as well go the whole nine yards._ She reopened her eyes and looked up at Rikuo. "I loved him."

Rikuo tensed slightly at her admission, yet said nothing.

"But…" Her voice came out as barely a whisper. "He didn't feel the same way. He loved Kikyō. And…even though it took me a really long time to figure it out, she loved him. He and I…just weren't meant to be." Kagome closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. Surprisingly, telling Rikuo about it hurt less than she had expected, lessened the sting of old wounds.

"So that's was why you made your wish, or part of it, rather?"

"Of course. I _had_ to. By that point, I had accepted that he would never love me the way he loved Kikyō. But he was still my best friend, no matter what. When she died, I couldn't prevent it. I couldn't do anything to save her, and he was in so much pain. So when the opportunity presented itself…I took it. I just wanted him to be happy."

When she opened her eyes, Rikuo was frowning. "What about _your_ happiness?"

She carelessly lifted a hand palm up, let it drop. "It wasn't really a priority—making them happy was. Which…" Kagome snorted. "Probably sounds really stupid."

"Not even remotely." Then he gave an exasperated sigh. "But your happiness is important too."

"Hmm…" She wobbled her head back and forth as though considering. "I guess?"

"It is to me," Rikuo said firmly, his arms tightening around her. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Amazing? Me?" She scoffed. "Not hardly. I barely did anything. If it weren't for my friends, I would've died. Many, many times."

"Somehow I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit. You sacrificed a lot for them. For everyone. I mean, at least when I was doing the whole 'save the world from death and hellacious damnation' gig, I was in my own time period."

"Oh?" Kagome's interest piqued. "You have to tell me! Um, if you want to, that is…"

"I want to. In fact, I had planned on telling you about my past in hopes that you would trust me with whatever you were hiding." Rikuo gave her a lopsided grin.

She felt her face grow warm. "So you picked up on that, huh? I wondered…" _Yet he didn't mind? He was still interested in me? Why?_

"Figured you'd tell me when you trusted me enough."

Kagome winced. "Ouch. It wasn't that I didn't trust you… It was just…"

"I get it, okay? Don't worry about it." He waved dismissively. "Water under the bridge. Anyway, I will definitely tell you my whole story…but maybe when it's not quite so late."

"I'm not tired," she protested, and then immediately yawned. _Oops._

Rikuo laughed lightly. "You were saying?"

"I…might be more tired than I let on. But I want to hear about your past 'adventures'."

He arched an eyebrow. "'Adventures'? Why the air quote qualification?"

"Because…" She exhaled harshly. "The people who call them that are rarely the ones who experienced them. Sometimes it's not all fun fantasy fiction land."

His eyes darkened, expression clouding. "No… You'd be right about that." A split second later, whatever caused him to look so grim had passed. "I promise I'll tell you. Tomorrow, okay? But I should go, let you get some sleep."

Without warning, panic swooped down like a hawk and gripped Kagome in its talons, her heart hammering and sweat slicking her palms. Perhaps caused by reliving the main source of her anxiety, or perhaps the irrational fear of being alone once Rikuo left. She couldn't say.

 _Knock it off. Quit being so weak and so fucking pathetic. You're a grown adult who is perfectly capable of being alone in her own apartment_.

Her anxiety, however, disagreed. Her pulse continued to race—she swore she could feel it jumping in her neck. Her breathing shallowed, and little sparks of undesired adrenaline tingled into her sweaty fingertips. She pulled away from Rikuo and leaned forward, rubbing her hands down her thighs, willing it all to stop.

"Kagome?"

"Mmm?" She didn't look up, kept staring absently at a spot on the coffee table. _Calm down. Slow deep breaths. Calm down._

"You okay?" Rikuo put a hand on her upper arm, and startled, she jerked her head around to look at him.

"Yeah, sorry… I'm…um…tired." She attempted to smile. _I shouldn't evade…but it's not his problem… He shouldn't have to be burdened with my anxiety._

Rikuo's eyes narrowed, and he sighed, shoving a hand through his hair. "Oi, blue eyes. No offense, but right now, you suck at lying."

The comment drew a shaky laugh from her. "Yeah, I know. It's just…stupid. I'm being stupid."

Rikuo pinned her with a sharp look. "That's crap, and you know it. Talk to me, please." There was an undercurrent of desperation in his tone that Kagome didn't understand.

"I… Look, it's irrational, and I _know_ it's irrational, but I'm having a stupid panic attack over being alone. I told you it was ridiculous," she said irritably, folding her arms over her chest and glaring at him, despite the fact that it wasn't _his_ fault.

"Oh." The crease between his eyebrows softened, and he smiled. "That's not stupid. I know you're tired and didn't want to wear out my welcome. You need me to stay, I'll stay. As long as you need me. Easy as that."

 _"Easy as that," he says. Pffft. He has absolutely no clue how impossible it would have been for me to_ ask _him to stay…or how much it means that he offered…_

The too-snug prickly feeling in her skin eased, and her heart slowly quit its assault on her sternum. Kagome curved her lips in a tiny, grateful smile. "Thank you. It…means a lot that you're not making fun of me for being so pathetic."

She jolted when he thumped her lightly on the head. "Stop being so damned hard on yourself. It's not pathetic." He glanced around the apartment. "So…I'll…uh, take the couch."

The devil on her shoulder, who currently bore a remarkable resemblance to Miroku, prodded Kagome with his pitchfork. _There's room for two in your bed…_

A tempting prospect. And she certainly wouldn't mind having Rikuo in her bed…

As she debated, she pictured the angel from the other shoulder, who at present looked like Sango, materializing next to the devil Miroku and smashing a mini Hiraikotsu down on his head. _Shut it. Go take a cold shower, pervert._

Kagome coughed lightly, shooing away the bizarre mental image as she hastened to respond to Rikuo. "Um, right. Let me get you some blankets and a pillow."

As she dug the aforementioned items out of her closet, the impact of revealing her past—and all the emotional baggage that came with it—finally caught up to her. Exhaustion made her head fuzzy and her limbs leaden as she shuffled back to the living room. _Perhaps best to wait until I'm not so tired to offer to share my bed…_ She blinked to clear blurry vision and handed Rikuo the blankets and pillow.

"All right there, blue eyes?"

Kagome yawned into her arm. "Yeah, just tired all of a sudden."

He nodded and then leaned down to kiss her forehead gently. "Go get some sleep then. I'll be here if you need me."

She chewed at her bottom lip. "You sure you don't mind?"

"Positive."

They said goodnight, and Kagome sleepily found her way to her bed. There, however, instead of passing out immediately, in the quiet darkness of her bedroom, grief snuck up on her once again. It stole her breath and constricted her throat, hot tears soaking her pillow as she curled into a ball and wept silently until fatigue won out over emotion, sleep finally claiming her.

* * *

As he spread out the blankets and settled on the sofa after shucking his shirt, Rikuo thought about all that Kagome had told him earlier. Her story was decidedly unexpected—of all things, he had never once considered she'd be the priestess of legend, or a time traveler—but for whatever reason, he didn't have a hard time believing her. On a soul-deep level, somehow, he knew that everything she had told him was the truth.

To say that all she had gone through must have been hard to cope with would be a gross understatement. Her past, while different, was as complicated and troubled as his own. And knowing that she had not only persevered but had also succeeded made him immensely proud. As did her altruistic wish on the sacred jewel. Even if he hated the burden it had forced her to carry. _She is so strong…yet she doesn't see herself that way._ As he tried to fall asleep, he wondered what on earth he had done right to be so lucky as to have her in his life.

By all logic, Rikuo should not have been able to sleep. He was in an unfamiliar place, sleeping in his jeans, his legs hung off the end of the sofa, and the gorgeous woman he'd fallen even further in love with was in the next room. Perhaps it was the blanket that smelled like Kagome, a soft citrusy-vanilla fragrance so uniquely her. Or maybe it was the contentment that stemmed from her trusting him with such a significant part of her life. Either way, sleep he did.

It was not, however, restful. Instead, he dozed fitfully, waking frequently from dreams plagued by scenes of Kagome being attacked and killed by yokai. Rationality stated his nightmares were likely the demented offspring borne of her story and the anticipation—trepidation, really—of telling Kagome _his_ story, pieces of his past he wasn't in any particular hurry to revisit. Yet despite acknowledging this, the nightmares persisted. Some of the dream yokai wore familiar faces, occasionally current or past members of the Nura clan, and Rikuo was always too late to rescue her. Each time she died in his arms, her blood staining his hands and clothes.

So when a shrill scream roused him from his light, restless slumber in the early morning, Rikuo didn't stop to think. He simply reacted, bolting into Kagome's bedroom, sword in hand.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

1\. We made it, y'all! And the truth shall set us free. Er, rather, set us toward the rest of the plot. Or something like that. I don't know. *shrugs*

2\. Moving day is next week, so it may be a while for the next chapter, especially considering I've written zilch nada zip in the past week or so... Hopefully the length of this one makes up for the delay of the next one. Maybe. Anyway, I'll update as soon as is feasibly possible. If you happen upon my wayward muse, please stuff her bitchy ass into a box and ship her home. I'll pay postage upon delivery ;-)


	22. Chapter 21

So...it's been a while. Apologies. Real life and all that. -_-

But I really wanted to get this chapter done and posted since today is EF's one-year anniversary. I cannot believe it's been a year...it's simultaneously amazing and overwhelming LOL. I never expected to write this much or for this long and damn we still have a ways to go. Ah, well. One step at a time, right?

Anyway...hope y'all enjoy this chapter ;-) _[And a quick reminder...it's rated M for a reason_ — _well,_ reason _s.]_

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"I don't know why they are all so eager to be remembered. What good will it do them? There are some things that should be forgotten by everyone, and never spoken of again."  
 **–Margaret Atwood,** _Alias Grace_

"Life's too short, babe, Time's flyin', I'm looking for baggage that goes with mine."  
 ** _–RENT_** , "La Vie Boheme"

* * *

He had simply reacted when Kagome's scream woke him, instantly drawing his sword and darting into her room.

Which…in retrospect…had been a little hasty.

"Rikuo?" Kagome switched on a lamp and blinked owlishly at him. "What are you doing? And…why do you have a sword?"

 _A nightmare? Must've been…_ He heaved a sigh of relief. And then, taking a closer look at Kagome, inhaled sharply.

She was sitting up in bed, covers thrown back carelessly to reveal one shapely bare leg, the T-shirt she'd slept in hugging every gorgeous curve. Her dark hair hung loose around her shoulders, slightly tousled from sleep.

In short, she looked sexy as hell.

Struggling to formulate an intelligible response, Rikuo said hoarsely, "You screamed."

Her mouth formed an O. Then, to his infinite discomfort, he watched her gaze creep down from his face to his bare chest, to his abs, and then down further to where his jeans hung low on his hips. Even in the dim light, he could see her cheeks flush as she swallowed hard and brought her gaze back up.

"It was just a nightmare. I'm sorry for waking you." A small shudder caused her shoulders to tremble.

Rikuo could sympathize, having suffered through countless horrific dreams himself that night. "Want to talk about it?"

"No." Then Kagome hesitated, chewed her bottom lip for a second, before adding, "Can I see your sword?"

The unintentional innuendo—or, at least he assumed it was unintended—almost killed him. He cleared his throat in an attempt to sound less strangled when he replied. "Sure." Taking a few strides over to the edge of her bed, he held Nenekirimaru out to her.

Her eyes lit up as she examined the katana, a pleased hum escaping her as she ran a finger along the flat of the blade.

Rikuo tried, and failed miserably, not to think about her running her hands over a different "sword." _For fuck's sake, grow up, will you?_ he snarled at himself mentally.

"There's no youki… It's not a yokai blade?" Kagome asked, eyebrows raising in disbelief.

He couldn't hold back a smirk. "No, actually, it's a taimatō, and was forged—and reforged—by the Keikain onmyoji." **(1)**

Her eyes grew huge. "What? Okay, now you _have_ to tell me the story."

"At"—a peek at the clock on the nightstand—"almost five o'clock in the morning?"

"Please?" She looked up at him pleadingly, and he laughed.

"You don't have class?"

Her mouth twisted as she glanced down at the sword in her hands. Then she returned her gaze to his, her lips curved in a mischievous smile as she handed Nenekirimaru back to him. "Nope."

"Liar."

She shrugged, still grinning. "Technically, yes, I do. But I can skip them, so it's fine."

Rikuo resheathed the sword and slung it over one shoulder. "Fine?"

"As in it's fine because I haven't used all the absences permitted by the attendance policy. The same professor teaches both, and today's a library research day anyway. It's not even like I'd miss anything important." Her grin widened. "So I am free until this evening when I have to go check in on and feed the cats at the sanctuary."

Rikuo chuckled. "All right, you win. Besides, fair is fair—I owe you my story too."

"Damn straight!" Kagome flung the covers back the rest of the way and hopped out of bed. Then she stopped, head cocking to one side as her eyes went to his shoulder. "You have a kitsune tattoo?"

He gave her a mock frown. "Oi, oi, blue eyes. I told you about matoi, didn't I?" **(2)**

"Right…sorry." She smiled sheepishly. "I haven't caffeinated yet, okay?"

He grinned. "Shall we remedy that?"

"Please."

* * *

After grabbing some coffee, breakfast, and a quick shower on Kagome's part, the two reclaimed their places on the sofa. Though, Rikuo noticed with some satisfaction, this time Kagome sat much closer to him, her knee nearly touching his leg and her feet tucked up under her.

She appeared to be waiting patiently for him to speak; her inquisitive sidelong glances and fidgeting with her shirt said otherwise. Her curiosity was endearing, but he had to give her credit for her restraint though.

"Hmm…where to start? I understand now what you meant when you said the same thing yesterday."

Kagome gave him a gentle smile. "Just start at the beginning, and skip whatever you and Natsumi-chan have already told me."

"She told you some stuff?" That came as a surprise—Natsumi didn't usually talk about what happened.

"Yeah, she told me about the Shikoku yokai, and the subway girl, and hinted at her getting turned into a yokai at Shibuya station, but said you'd need to tell that story."

Rikuo grimaced. Natsumi was right—it would be better for him to tell it, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to it.

"But you don't have to!" Kagome said hurriedly.

"No, I want to. I want you to know about my past—it's only fair."

She frowned. "Screw fair. You shouldn't feel obligated to talk about it if you're not ready. And…it's not like you're hiding it from me intentionally…" she said in a small voice.

"Hey." He nudged her. "None of that."

Kagome shrugged. Then, pointing to his shoulder, now covered by his button-down shirt, she asked, "So, the kitsune matoi? Who was that with?"

"I'll need to explain some stuff leading up to that, but I promise, I'll get there eventually."

"I know I kept saying the same thing yesterday, but damn, it's annoying!"

"Sorry?" He grinned. "So anyway… You know what? Kinda like you went back to Midoriko, let me jump back in history a bit to help explain things or at least give them context. You're familiar with Abe no Seimei?"

Kagome gave him a _look_. "Is that even a question? Of course. Hey… Is it true he was a hanyō?"

For some bizarre reason, her knowledge of the yokai world and its history filled him with pride. "Actually, yes. His mother was a kitsune—Hagoromo Gitsune. He was also known as Nue."

Rikuo told her the story of Seimei and his mother, and Seimei's goal to achieve eternal life so that he could create and rule over an ideal world, initially for humans and yokai alike. One of balancing darkness and light…but how it shifted to one of darkness ruling over light instead after the death of his mother. His desire to "purify" the world—and anyone who dared oppose him. The quintessential villain bullshit of world domination and utopias. How his scheme involved Hagoromo Gitsune being reincarnated, made stronger, in order to give birth to Seimei again. He had already given her the short version of his grandparents' meeting and how his grandfather defeated Hagoromo Gitsune as Yodo-dono, so he skimmed over that, aside from explaining about Nenekirimaru.

"If you want more details, ask the old man." Rikuo rolled his eyes. "I have no doubt he would be thrilled."

Kagome's eyes sparkled with excitement. "You sure he won't mind me asking? Because you know I will."

He chuckled. "Knock yourself out. Okay, so fast forward to the Edo period, when my father led and the Nura clan was established in and ruling Edo. Are you familiar with the game from that era, the One Hundred Tales?"

"Hyakumonogatari kaidankai? Sure, I've heard of it—where participants would light one hundred candles and take turns telling ghost or other supernatural stories, blowing out a candle when they finished? And the one hundredth supposedly summoned a yokai?"

"Yes, exactly. So during that time, a merchant named Sanmoto Gorōzaemon used the Hundred Stories and his Hyakki Teakettle to both create new yokai and gather Fear in Edo—Fear that belonged to the Nuragumi."

He explained about how Kurotabo had been brainwashed by Sanmoto and sent to assassinate Rihan, which came as quite a shock to Kagome, and how Sanmoto—and his body parts—wound up as yokai, and how Sanmoto was eventually defeated by Rihan.

"Okay, that's really…"

"Fucked up?" he supplied, a trace of unexpected anger seeping into his tone. _Where did that come from?_ He thought he'd moved past that by now.

Kagome nodded. "That's not the guy who turned Natsumi into a yokai, is it?"

Rikuo's heart rate kicked up a notch, yet his voice was devoid of emotion when he answered. "That…that was Kyōsai, who was one of Sanmoto's body parts. But… I will get there."

He told her about his father and Yamabuki Otome, Hagoromo Gitsune's curse, and how Yamabuki Otome left, eventually died, and how her body was used by Sanmoto and Seimei—who conspired together in Hell—to reincarnate Hagoromo Gitsune so that Sanmoto could get revenge on Rihan. He explained about that revenge, giving her more details about Rihan's murder.

Rikuo closed his eyes and sighed deeply. No matter how many years had passed, talking about the death of his father wasn't easy. He felt Kagome's hands clasp his gently, interlacing their fingers, echoing the comfort he'd offered her the night before.

He opened his eyes to meet her gaze, her bright blue eyes full of concern. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled a hand free of hers, then looped the arm over her shoulder and tugged her in close. Burying his face in her hair, he inhaled her soothing citrus and vanilla scent.

"You okay? Need a break?"

His reply was muffled. "Nah, 'm okay."

She pushed on his chest and tipped her head back to look at him seriously. "Don't lie to me, Rikuo."

"I'm not. Promise." He managed a weak smile. "Anyway…so _that_ —Hagoromo Gitsune and Dad's death—was how I wound up in Tōno the first time, but what I didn't know then is that was barely the tip of the iceberg."

Rikuo resumed the story, telling her about Kyoto and all that happened there, including Seimei shattering Nenekirimaru and Rikuo asking Keikain Akifusa to reforge it. How he continued to train in preparation for Seimei's return, and then how the Hundred Stories clan resurfaced. Of Toryanse the Slasher and the subway girl, the latter he only mentioned in passing to give it context since Natsumi had already discussed that.

The further he got into the story, the edgier he felt, perhaps in anticipation of discussing things he'd really rather not speak of, let alone recall. When Rikuo got to the Kudan's prophecy and he and Tsurara getting attacked by random strangers and the game of "tag," long-forgotten rage welled up within him, making his hands shake as he balled them into fists.

If Kagome's expression was anything to go by, he wasn't the only one pissed off. "Tag? Like it was a damned _game_?"

"It _was_ a game to them… They couldn't have cared less about the lives lost." Rikuo clenched his teeth, could hear them grinding together. Was he really in a position to judge them? How many lives had _he_ taken?

He closed his eyes for a moment, massaging his temples. "Anyway, this was when Kiyotsugu's friendship and loyalty was so valuable, instrumental even." Kagome had been less than thrilled when he'd told her about Kiyotsugu's role in Rikuo denying his yokai side as a child, and he felt the need to explain why he still considered Kiyotsugu a good friend. _Even if I probably am unworthy of such friendship…_

"From what you've said, that makes sense. And…I…guess it is sufficient amends for his actions as a kid," Kagome conceded.

Any other time he'd have cracked a joke, something about her being overprotective, but his mind was too preoccupied, too focused on the rest of the story to come…the agony he'd endured…and the sins he would have to confess.

 _To think_ she _was anxious about telling you the truth. Hey, jackass—why haven't_ you _been all that worried about how_ she's _going to react?_

Because he hadn't really thought about it. Hadn't _let_ himself think of it. Not until last night at least, and even then, not that much. He never did—he'd locked it away in a corner of his mind: things not to be remembered, and if remembered, never spoken of.

Her voice drew him out of his ruminations. "So you, Tsurara, Itaku, et cetera were on your way to Shibuya Station?"

 _Flesh rupturing, Fear rotting, the stench… Stop. Stop!_ His skin felt clammy, and his heartbeat uncomfortably fast. He swallowed hard. _It's over. You can do this._ "Yeah… So remember me mentioning Kyōsai? Well…"

 _Mind-rending agony. So much blood staining his hands. Guilt. Terrible soul-crushing guilt._ Rikuo stood abruptly, startling Kagome, and began to pace restlessly. _Maybe I can't do this…_ "Sorry. It's… Damnit…" He paused in his pacing and dragged a hand down his face. "Apologies for being presumptuous and rude, but do you have any alcohol? I'm going to need a drink—or twelve—to get through this."

Kagome's eyebrows flew up. "At seven thirty in the morning?"

"Blue eyes, it really doesn't matter what fucking time of day it is when I tell this story." He winced internally at his sharp tone but couldn't find it in himself to apologize. _Nice, Rikuo. Way to be an asshole._

However, to his amazement, Kagome gave him an understanding nod and leapt up off the sofa. She fished around in her cabinets and pulled out an unopened bottle of whisky and a glass, gesturing to them. "I'm all out of sake, sorry. But I don't drink whisky, so you're welcome to as much of that as you like."

"Then why do you have it?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Gift from an idiot who didn't know me at all."

She returned to the sofa, and Rikuo poured some whisky in the glass, tossing back a shot— _fuck proper sipping protocol_ —before pouring some more and rejoining her on the sofa. Though this time, he sat as far from her as physically possible.

"You don't have to tell me, you know," she said softly. She did not, however, mention his day-drinking, which surprised him somewhat. _Although…given her past, she probably understands the need for coping mechanisms…healthy or otherwise._

"Yeah, I know." Rikuo took another gulp of whisky, the smoky liquor searing its way down, and set the glass on the coffee table. "Not that you're going to believe me, but I want to." He tugged at the collar of his shirt, which suddenly felt uncomfortably tight, and took a deep breath. "But, uh, can I get you to do me one favor?"

"Of course."

 _Gonna sound like a complete asshole… Correction._ More _of an asshole._ But it was the only way he was going to get through it. "Don't touch me. And don't interrupt. Let me get completely finished, then say whatever you want to say or ask questions. All right?"

A blend of sympathy and sorrow filled those beautiful blue eyes, but she nodded.

The whisky was beginning to do its job of taking the edge off, so he steeled himself and plowed ahead. It was almost unbearable, rehashing easily one of the most traumatic experiences he'd had, if not _the_ most, and that was saying something; he'd been through a lot of disturbing things. He spoke mechanically, relaying the story as if it had happened to someone else, the occasional quaver in his voice the only indication of the emotional storm raging within him.

Rikuo stared at his hands, the invisible blood on them, blood he'd never wash clean no matter how hard he tried. So many innocent girls, dead by his hands. Lives cut short because of him.

 _Because of you? Or because of Kyōsai?_ Hell, did it really fucking matter? Assigning blame wouldn't bring them back from the dead.

The whole time Kagome kept her promise, never making a sound, silent tears streaking down her face. He wished he were stronger, that he could comfort her as he spoke, but he couldn't, his own mental anguish too overwhelming for him to even begin to consider alleviating hers.

Eventually, after a startlingly short amount of time—it _felt_ like it took an eternity—and a third of the bottle of whisky, he made it through the entirety of the incident, all the way to Fukagawa, defeating the revived Sanmoto Gorōzaemon, and the first encounter with the Gokadoin onmyoji.

A bitter laugh escaped him. "And to think that my friends were concerned about my well-being afterward. If I was okay because of the kusozu. Worried about _me._ What a fucking joke."

On what planet was he worthy of their concern?

Rikuo kept talking, more to himself than to Kagome, unresolved anger and self-loathing resurfacing. "I realized something later, though, because of it."

Kagome swiped her forearm across her face. "Oh?"

His stomach churned, and the whisky he'd just drunk threatened to come back up. "Some leader I am, breaking my own fucking rule about not harming humans. Hanyō or not, I am just as much of a monster any other human-murdering yokai." Rikuo looked away, staring off into the room at nothing in particular.

"No."

The sharply spoken word carried with it a prickle of reiki. Before he could react, she had snatched his chin and jerked his face around. Her eyes bored into his as she held his gaze. "Now you listen to me. 'Monsters'," Kagome spat, "like Naraku or this Kyōsai bastard do not feel guilt or remorse. Do you feel remorse? Are you sorry for what you did?"

 _Only every single fucking day of my life…_ "Yes… But if I had to go back and do it again, I wouldn't do anything differently. I would still choose to save Natsumi-chan."

"Yes, because clearly it's such an evil, 'monstrous' thing to save one's friend," Kagome retorted. "Also, am I correct in understanding that you had no desire to enter into this little game of theirs? That _they_ attacked you—both humans and yokai?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"No buts. It's not your fault. You did what you had to. No, I'm not necessarily condoning what you did, but under the circumstances… I would have done the same thing. In fact…" Kagome twisted her lips into an unhappy smile. "By yokai standards, as the shikon miko, you could consider me just as much a monster as you. There's no telling how many yokai we killed who might not have been malicious, had they not been under the influence of the jewel shards or Naraku."

"That's different. It's not like you chose to be the shikon miko…" He trailed off, seeing where she was going with this. _Damnit._

She arched an eyebrow. "And you _did_ choose to be targeted by the Hundred Stories clan? By the Gokadoin? Speaking of…remind me later I have a question about them." He was mildly surprised she had even heard of them, but before he could ask, she'd started speaking again. "How many people, human or yokai, were irrevocably harmed—or killed—because of the jewel shards? Because _I_ broke the shikon no tama?"

"That wasn't your fault. You didn't know that would happen," Rikuo insisted.

"And you didn't know Kyōsai had turned those girls into yokai."

" _Īe_. I did know. Not leading up to Shibuya station, but after… I was plenty aware." _Yet you did it anyway._ He poured himself more whisky, taking a swallow and then swirling the rest around in the glass absently.

Kagome was silent for a moment. Then, "So it would have been better for you to die?"

 _Perhaps._ Rikuo shrugged, staring at the whisky.

She shifted so her body was fully facing him, and then planted her hands on her hips. "Look me in the eyes, and tell me—what would your death have solved? If you had died, would it have undone what happened to those girls? And who would have saved Natsumi-chan? Who would have stopped the Hundred Stories clan? Or Seimei?"

He frowned. "Surely someone else could have wielded Nenekirimaru and handled it."

"But you don't know that for certain." Kagome gave a long sigh. "I'm sorry this happened to you. That you went through this. It's wrong, and it's not fair. I can't say I understand completely, as my situation was different. But the second-guessing, doubting if you did the right thing, wondering what you could have done differently, done better?" She laughed lightly and looked down at her lap. "That? That, I get."

 _Great. Now she's hurting, because I'm an angsty asshole. Nice job, Rikuo._ It was a poor attempt to lighten the mood, but he sloshed the whisky in the glass and held it out to her. "Drink?"

She glanced up and smiled slightly. "Um, yeah, gonna pass on that one. Now, if it wasn't whisky…"

Rikuo snorted. "So it's not the time of day, it's what's on offer?"

"Bingo." Then, after a short pause, she said, "I'd like to say all we can do is face what we went through, acknowledge the mistakes we made, make amends where possible, forgive ourselves, and move forward… Buuuuuut…"

Rikuo nodded. "Sounds good in theory, but the reality is it's not that simple."

"Yup. Easier said than done." Kagome shrugged nonchalantly, but shadows lingered in her eyes. "Sorry…didn't mean to go off on a tangent and interrupt."

This time he was able to muster a genuine smile. "'s'all good, blue eyes. Thanks for not thinking I'm a completely terrible person." _Only mostly._ "Anyway, where was I?"

"You're _not_ a terrible person. And you were talking about going to Mt. Osore to get the reforged Nenekirimaru?"

"Right. Hey, speaking of which, you asked about the Gokadoin, the descendants of Seimei?"

Kagome had gone pale, but she shook her head, motioning for him to go on. "No, you finish first, and I'll explain later. It might not even mean anything."

Rikuo shrugged and continued his story. It took another hour and a half to reach the end, the defeat of Seimei and how he had nearly died, and he wondered belatedly if Kagome had felt as simultaneously exhausted yet relieved when she had finished. He massaged his temples tiredly.

"So…there you have it."

Kagome's eyes were the size of dinner plates. "Holy hell, Rikuo. You went through all of that when you were _thirteen_?"

His lips twitched. "Says the woman who time traveled and saved the world in the past at fifteen? And before you say it, no, I don't think two years make a difference."

"I'm not so sure…" She didn't speak for a moment before she asked quietly, "So how much did you tell your mom?"

 _"Your mom"—as in, the human family member. Because unlike Kagome, at least I have family who aren't human._ "The bare minimum." He hadn't lied to her, but he also hadn't volunteered any of the more gruesome details.

Kagome nodded. "Same. I didn't want to worry her—or Sōta or _jii-chan_ —any more than I already had."

He knew the feeling. "Uh-huh. Mom's pretty resilient, but…still. She's already had to deal with Dad's death and… Well, you know…"

"Yeah."

"Of course, considering that I spent weeks at the hanyō village to recuperate from almost dying, I guess she's probably got a pretty good idea of the things that happened," he said, giving her a wry half-grin.

She smiled. "Mama used to wash the blood out of my uniform, or when it was too mangled to mend, she'd buy me a new one. She didn't ask though."

"Nope. Just offered to listen if I ever wanted to talk."

Kagome cocked her head to one side. "Same with my mom. Kinda weird." She tapped her lips with a finger, then said, "Though, I suppose they have quite a bit in common—widowed with young children, children who went through weird supernatural circumstances…"

His grin widened. "Dealing with yokai? Though admittedly less so for your mom."

"True!" Kagome's face brightened. "I'm really looking forward to meeting your mom and the Nura clan. _G_ _omen!_ I mean, um, whenever you want me to that is…"

Rikuo chuckled at the haste with which she'd qualified her statement. "You're welcome at the Nura clan house any time, blue eyes. Always."

"Oh… I… Thank you," she mumbled, averting her gaze.

They lapsed into silence for several minutes, Rikuo reflecting on just how slim the odds had to be that he'd met Kagome—a woman who was not only knowledgeable about yokai, but also wasn't afraid of them. Not to mention someone who had been through things that, while not exactly the same, were similar enough to his that she understood how he felt. _And both of us bear our fair share of scars…visible and otherwise._

He didn't deserve her, that was for damn sure, but he was thankful—and shocked—as hell that she had listened to his story as he'd asked, without interrupting, and she hadn't judged him, didn't hate him for what he had done at Shibuya. Nothing would _ever_ erase the weight of the guilt he carried, but for the first time in a long time, that burden felt a tiny bit lighter.

 _Do I deserve to have it lightened?_ He wasn't so certain, but now wasn't the time to go there. He pushed the thoughts away, back into the box in the far reaches of his mind where they belonged.

"Hey." She glanced at him, eyebrow lifting in question. "Thanks for listening."

"Thanks for telling me. You didn't have to."

Rikuo waved his hand dismissively. "We've been over that."

"So, not to change the subject but…" she began, trailing off.

"Hmm?"

"The fox on your shoulder?" Kagome asked. "That's from the matoi with Hagoromo Gitsune?"

Rikuo nodded.

Kagome bit her lip, and she looked away. Rikuo felt himself smile involuntarily. She was too cute when she wanted to say or ask something but thought like she shouldn't. _Though, honestly, she ought to know by now she can speak freely around me…_

"Oh, just spit it out already, blue eyes."

Her gaze snapped back to his, eyes wide. "How did you—"

She had a tell, but he had a funny feeling she wouldn't appreciate him pointing that out. So he settled on, "Lucky guess. Well?"

Pink fanned across her cheekbones. "Can… Umm… Can I see all of your matoi marks? And will you explain them?"

A welcome distraction from the past he'd just revisited. "Of course. Though…you know…if you wanted to see me shirtless"—he affected more confidence than he felt and winked at her—"all you had to do was ask."

The pink flush in her cheeks flamed to crimson, and she crossed her arms, grumbling. "You're such an ass."

Rikuo gave a genuine laugh as he shucked his shirt and turned his back so she could see the tattoo-esque matoi marks. "The first ones I ever got were these." He tapped the ones from Zen on his shoulders, explaining. "And then the snowflakes are from matoi with Tsurara. The spiral in the center was Itaku, and the sword crossed with the shakuju from Kuro."

He jolted and his voice caught in his throat as her fingers brushed his skin. But the instant he jumped, they were gone.

"I'm sorry. I should have asked."

He was thankful his reply came out steady and even. "No, it's fine, just surprised me is all. Go ahead."

Again her fingertips feathered over the markings on his back, from Zen's to Itaku's, to Kuro's. _Oh, fuck_ … He gulped in air and tried to focus on his explanation.

"And…uh…" Shit, where had he been? "The…uh…"

The breath he had just taken left him in a rush as Kagome traced the large claw marks spanning his right side and ribcage. "These?"

"Shōei. When we fought Toryanse."

Her fingers moved to his lower back and hips, burning a path along his skin and doing a damn fine job of temporarily chasing away the lingering ghosts of his past.

"Those…uh…are from Tsuchigumo."

Rikuo heard her hum thoughtfully. "Ah, the spider webs make sense then."

A shiver racked his body as she brushed over the kitsune on his shoulder, its tails curled around his bicep. She had leaned in closer, so close that her hair tickled, and it was more than his self-control could take.

He spun around, startling her and making her gasp.

"Sorry, did I—"

Whatever she intended to ask was cut off as he crushed his mouth to hers, pulling her into his arms and snug against him. Then he released her lips, trailing kisses down her throat. Kagome's eyes fluttered shut, and she tipped her head back, a soft moan leaving her. When he kissed back up her neck and nipped at her ear, he felt her hands clench into fists and she inhaled sharply.

 _Looks like I'm not the only one enjoying this…_ he thought with a hint of smugness.

He captured Kagome's lips again with his, losing himself in her, the remnants of his earlier moodiness dissipating with her taste, her scent, the very presence of her.

Then his conscience made itself known, annoyingly insistent. _Not like this._ _Don't use her as a distraction. Not_ her _._

He slipped his hands to her shoulders and gently pushed away from her. Kagome was flushed and breathless, her blue eyes dark with desire, and Rikuo almost said never mind and resumed where they'd left off. But he couldn't. "Kagome, stop."

* * *

She wasn't sure why he'd stopped. Or asked her to stop.

Then he added, "This… I don't want to use you—"

"As a distraction?" she broke in. It took everything she had not to roll her eyes.

Rikuo looked taken aback. "Yes…how did you know?"

Kagome huffed, the exhale fluttering her bangs. "Really? You're not the only one who has baggage, remember? Did it occur to you that one, I might be trying to distract you, and"—here he opened his mouth, to say what, she didn't care. Instead, she ignored him and continued—"and two, that I might want this as much as you do?"

Rikuo's mouth snapped shut with an audible click.

"Seriously, Rikuo. I get it, okay, and I appreciate the hell out of the fact that you don't want a quick 'get laid and cope with the past' sort of deal." Kagome paused, lips twitching in an attempt not to smile when he made a choking noise. "But here's the thing. Unless I'm sorely mistaken, and I really, really hope I'm not… We both, um…" Now she stumbled somewhat over her words, feeling nervous tingles creep into her palms and knots forming in her gut. "Um, well, feel something for one another…so…it's not like it would _just_ be sex…" _I hope…_

A slow grin spread across Rikuo's face, and he reached out to cup her cheek, rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone. "Yeah?"

She nodded.

Then his expression grew serious once more, a crease forming between his brows. "Are you sure? Because the _last_ thing I want is to take advantage of—"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Rikuo, shut up!" she snapped, causing his chocolate-brown eyes to pop wide open. "You're the one who's been drinking, so technically I should be worried about _me_ taking advantage of you. Are _you_ sure? If so, knock it off with the overchivalrous self-sacrificing bullshit."

He arched an eyebrow. "'Overchivalrous'?"

Kagome glared at him. "Chivalry has its time and place, and right now is _not_ it." Then, "Are you quite finished?"

"Blue eyes, you have any idea how sexy you are when you're all riled up?"

She wanted to be annoyed at the comment, she really did, but… _When he's sitting there, with that stupid sexy smirk of his…_ "Jerk," she mumbled before yanking him to her and claiming his lips with hers.

There was nothing gentle or sweet or subtle about the kiss. Neither of them was handling the other with kid gloves any more, and the result was blisteringly hot. As if some spark had ignited tinder she hadn't even known was there, turning it into a raging inferno.

Somewhere on the periphery of her senses, she registered the loud chime and buzzing of a text notification from her phone. She ignored it in favor of standing up and tugging him toward her bedroom.

"Need to get that?"

"Really not a priority right now."

But instead of following her into the room, Rikuo lingered in the doorway and massaged the back of his neck, clearing his throat.

 _Please,_ kami, _don't tell me he's having second thoughts. Or trying to be chivalrous. Again._

"So…uh…not to throw a wrench in things, but you don't happen to have any condoms, do you?"

 _Oh thank fuck that's all it is…_ Kagome did her best to keep a straight face. "What, are you telling me you don't carry one in your wallet like every other guy?"

Somehow he managed to simultaneously look chagrined and frown at her as he walked in and sat down on the bed beside her. "Blue eyes, what about me gave you the impression that I'm like other guys?"

She couldn't hold back this time, grinning. "A valid point…" Kagome shifted around so she was sitting in his lap, legs astride his waist, and for a moment, she thought his eyes might roll back in his head when she rolled her hips slightly. In this position, there was no disguising his rather impressive hard-on, and that, as well as his strangled curse when she ran a hand down his abs to undo his belt and jeans, filled her with no small amount of pride.

However, as much fun as teasing him was, it affected _her_ too, and her patience was wearing thin.

Kagome leaned forward and kissed along his jawline, murmuring, "No condoms, but I'm on birth control, and I'm clean… So…if you're also clean…" She let the question linger in the air as she inched his zipper down with painstaking deliberateness.

A fraction of a second later, with breath-taking speed, she found herself on her back, Rikuo—now sans jeans—above her, one side of his mouth curved in his signature sexy grin. He kissed her full and hard on the mouth before moving his lips to her ear. "Totally clean, blue eyes. In fact, you're more than welcome to ask Zen."

Between the kisses and borderline not-so-gentle bites along the curve of her neck, Kagome was having a hard time thinking. "Z-zen?" she managed to get out on a gasp as Rikuo pulled the straps of her bra off her shoulder with his teeth.

"He's my doctor?"

"Oh… No, I—ah! I, um, _oh gods…_ "

"Problems?" He glanced up, and the smile he gave her was utterly unrepentant.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "The only problem we're going to have, _Sandaime_ , is if you keep talking about Zen. Or did you want me to think about another man while I'm in bed with you?"

" _Tch_." One eyebrow twitched, and the hands on her hips tightened. "No."

She'd expected him to say something more, pop back with some kind of clever quip. Instead, he ceased talking and seemed to be more intent on responding to her snarky comment by banishing _all_ thoughts from her mind, Zen or otherwise.

As he removed her remaining clothes with maddening meticulousness, his fingertips traced meaningless patterns on her skin, leaving goose bumps in their wake. Nervous energy skittered across her, and her breathing hitched. Teeth grazing sensitive flesh, he bit down gently, and she gasped again, grabbing his hair almost involuntarily.

A low chuckle. "Ho? Like that do you?"

Not waiting for an answer, he repeated the action, and a moan escaped her throat. _Like? Understatement…_

With teeth, lips, and tongue, he moved languidly down her body, teasing and tasting, and her hands left his hair to clench in the sheets. Tiny whimpers mixed with quiet moans as sensations built and tension coiled tighter, her back arching off the bed with a cry when the orgasm finally ripped through her.

Kagome had barely come down from the high of the first when the combination of well-placed fingers and a talented tongue rocketed her straight into the second climax. A string of garbled "Ohh, _kami_ ," and "holy hell, yesss…"and similar phrases left her.

She was still breathless when he slid up the bed to lie next to her, wearing a smug, self-satisfied grin, propping up on one arm. In response, Kagome curved her lips mischievously and pushed him onto his back. She straddled him, and they both groaned in mutual pleasure at the feeling as she sank down on him.

"Oh, _fuck_ , Kagome." His hands gripped her hips, and it wasn't long before they were both panting.

"Like that do you?" she asked impishly.

He only smirked in response and, taking advantage of her slowed movements, snuck his hand in between them. She made a small surprised noise as his fingers found her clit, a sound that quickly morphed into a low hum of appreciation.

 _So glad I don't have a roommate,_ Kagome thought, before Rikuo finally succeeded in rendering her completely incapable of coherent thought.

* * *

Later, they lay in a boneless tangle of limbs, both deliciously sated.

"That was…"

"Awesome?"

"I was going to say amazing, but sure, awesome works." Then she added, "This is totally going to inflate that ego of yours, isn't it?"

Rikuo snorted. "And it won't with yours?"

Kagome sat up slightly and rolled to her side so she could glare at him properly. "Did you just imply that I'm arrogant?"

He grinned. "I distinctly recall telling you it isn't arrogance if it's true. And no, for the record, you are anything but arrogant. In fact, I think you could stand to be a little more confident. You're impressive as hell, and no, I'm not referring to your skills in bed." Then he ran his gaze up and down her body lasciviously. "Though you won't hear any complaints from me, that's for damn sure."

Kagome smacked him on the chest, eliciting a mingled "oof" and snicker. "Thank you? I think?" She shook her head. "Typical man."

"Oi, thought we'd established that I'm not typical?"

She ignored him, despite the fact that he was right. He was far from normal or average, by either human or yokai standards. "Anyway, I suppose I should probably see who texted me earlier."

Rikuo made no move to get up, so she retrieved her phone from the living room and returned, slipping back into bed next to him.

* * *

 _Damn, that's a nice ass…_

When Kagome crawled back in bed, he snagged her by the waist and pulled her flush up against him, enjoying the way she felt in his arms.

Head resting on his chest, she fiddled with her phone for a second and then groaned out loud.

"Everything okay, blue eyes?"

She held up her phone so he could see it.

 **Natsumi** : Apparently Rikuo-kun didn't come home last night. Know anything about that? ;-)

He barked a laugh. "I swear, never in my life did I expect yokai to be such gossips…"

Kagome giggled. "Yeah, well, I'm sure Natsumi-chan fits right in. Though I don't know if this is as much gossip as her matchmaking tendencies…"

Before he could speculate, the sounds of text notifications came from both of their phones, halting that particular train of thought. Kagome moved slightly so he could lean over to grab his out of his jeans, which were still on the floor, and when he sat up, he saw Kagome's jaw drop open.

Rikuo assumed it was Natsumi again. "What did she say now?"

She opened and closed her mouth a couple times, before finally saying, "It's not from her… It's an apology…from Ryūji."

"For what?" The words came out harsher than he'd intended, but Kagome didn't seem to have noticed.

"Well…several things. Honestly, he's been a royal pain in my ass."

That wasn't anything out of the ordinary for Ryūji, nor would it explain why the onmyoji had apologized. _But she said 'several things,' which implies it's more than just standard Ryūji bullshit._ "Such as what kind of things?"

She explained everything, ending with Ryūji's most recent visit to her campus. Once he'd heard all of it, Rikuo's blood was boiling. _That manipulative son of a bitch… Why am I just now hearing about this?_ "You didn't mention this when we talked on Friday."

Kagome shifted uncomfortably, her gaze darting away from his. "Um… That's because…" Her shoulders slumped as she sighed. "Because I hadn't told you the truth yet, and it would've been difficult to explain why his snooping around and pestering me was such a problem."

Rikuo shook his head. "Whether you're the shikon miko or not is irrelevant. What he did is wrong—and would _still_ be wrong if all you were was an innocent college student with no firsthand knowledge of yokai. I admit I crossed the line myself some when I first checked up on you to see if you were a threat to the clan, and I'm sorry for that—"

Kagome cut in. "I already told you I understood why you did that."

She had, but he still felt the need to apologize under the circumstances. "But Ryūji can't use that as an excuse—a miko is hardly a threat to an onmyoji. His actions were—are—unacceptable…and he knows better." _And_ _I'm going to fucking kill him._

"I guess I was so focused on keeping everything hidden and kinda just chalked it up to the fact that he's an asshole." Kagome shrugged. "Oh well. He apologized, so what's done is done. As long as he doesn't keep doing it, I mean."

"Seriously? That's it? You're just going to let it slide?"

"I wouldn't say I'm letting it slide so much as I'm not going out of my way to punish him. He's not worth my time or energy." Kagome smiled when Rikuo just stared at her. _Though, given what she's told me about her time in the Sengoku era, she seems to have a track record for being overly forgiving._

"Besides…" she added. "Don't we sort of need to play nice with him for the purposes of your investigation?"

" _Tch._ I guess so…" Rikuo said grudgingly. "Speaking of which…" He gestured with his cell phone. "He wants the three of us to meet tonight."

Kagome nodded. "That's fine. I have to swing by the cat sanctuary and take care of evening feeding and stuff, but then I'm free."

Rikuo thought for a moment, and then a grin slowly spread across his face. "I was planning to take you to the Bakenekoya last night… And going there would irritate the shit out of Ryūji, so what if—"

"Yes. Without question, yes. Call me petty, but nothing would make me happier."

He laughed. _Annoying Ryūji and making Kagome happy all in one fell swoop? Sign me the fuck up._ "Well, then, your wish is my command. But what happened to not going out of your way to punish him?"

Kagome's expression was pure feigned innocence, minus the mischievous gleam in her eyes, that is. "Why, Rikuo, I don't know what you mean. I'm simply agreeing to go to a place _you_ suggested." She batted her eyelashes exaggeratedly. "How ever was I to know it was a yokai restaurant that an onmyoji might not enjoy?"

Then she stuck her tongue out and made gagging noises. "Sorry. That's about all I can stomach of playing the vacuous ingénue."

"Perhaps because you are the furthest thing from vacuous? A good effort, though," he said, grinning.

"Well, if I'm going to be of any help with this investigation, you'd best fill me in on everything you know. And I don't mean the edited 'we're writing a book' version," she said, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

"Hey, I didn't edit it because I didn't trust you or didn't think you could handle—" His protest was cut short by her pressing her hand over his mouth.

"I know. I never said you did. It was what worked for the time and place. Plus—" This time Kagome interrupted herself, letting out an indignant squeak when he licked her palm. "Rikuo! What are you, five?"

He laughed. Even with her feigned glare. And then laughed harder when she wiped her hand on his bare chest.

"Good grief, it's not _that_ funny." She huffed. "Are you going to fill me in or what?"

 _Yup, my feisty miko's gonna fit right in with the rest of the clan…_

* * *

 **Footnotes:**

 **1.** Per the manga, Nenekirimaru is a taimatō—a demon exorcism sword—"it is a sword infused with the spirit of onmyoji…it was created in such a way that it gains power each time it cuts through spirits." And though it _can_ cut humans, it cannot _mortally_ wound them.

 **2.** Matoi is a technique originating with the Second, Rihan, and used by both Rihan and Rikuo, one that only a hyakki yakō leader who is part-yokai/part-human can use. It involves a member of their hyakki yakō releasing their Fear and then the leader "equips" or "wears" their Fear. It requires trust on the part of both parties. Tattoo-like marks appear on the user's back as a result (some of which I've had to take artistic liberties with since we don't see them with every matoi, unfortunately).

* * *

 **Author's note(s):**

It took me a damn year to do it, but I finally got them laid. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go hide and die of mortification...


	23. Chapter 22

Apologies for the seriously long amount of time between this and the last chapter. It's been a perfect storm of real life, writer's block, and then a persistent plot bunny in the form of a Nurarihyon/Yohime AU diverting attention from this story to itself. But, hey, at least I never promised any sort of updating schedule, hmm? ;-)

Also, a big thank you to Sabina for beta-ing this chapter!

* * *

 **Quotes:**

"Living was a dangerous past-time, and often quite painful—but there was also such joy in living, such beauty, things that one would otherwise never see, never experience, never know. The risk of pain and loss was a part of living."  
–Jim Butcher, _Captain's Fury_

"'tis true that we are in great danger;  
The greater therefore should our courage be."  
–William Shakespeare, _Henry V_

* * *

 _Seattle, Washington_

Sesshōmaru sensed her before he heard the soft rap on his office door. He didn't miss a beat in his phone conversation, lifting a hand to stave off any verbal interruptions when she poked her head in the door.

She winked at him impishly and settled in one of the armchairs, waiting patiently.

When he'd completed the business matter he was attending to and hung up the phone, he turned to regard the petite silver-haired, golden-eyed woman. Her head was bowed over her cell phone, a couple stray locks of hair that had escaped her partial up-do framing her face. Between the magenta markings on her cheekbones and the crescent moon on her forehead, she bore such a strong resemblance to him, no one would ever know they weren't actually related.

Not that Sesshōmaru felt any need to clarify that fact—for all intents and purposes, she _was_ his daughter.

"Rin."

Rin's head popped up at the sound of her name. "Oh! I'm sorry, 'Maru! I didn't even realize you'd finished."

With false seriousness, he asked, "Are you simply here to pester me, or do you actually have a purpose for your visit?"

There had been a time—a very long time ago—when that question would have caused her to stammer nervously and apologize for her intrusion. Or, in the more recent past, stick her bottom lip out and pout. Now, however, she merely rolled her eyes.

"Impudent brat," he muttered, but the admonishment held no heat, only fondness.

"I hardly think at 472 years old that I'm a 'brat' anymore. You and I both know you're affecting annoyance at me being here. And do I have to have a reason? Can't a girl just come by to see her father at work?" She fluttered long white lashes at him in mock innocence.

"Rin." Sesshōmaru fixed her with as stern a look as he could muster. "You live next door to me. On my estate."

She grinned. "Sheesh, all work and no play makes 'Maru a dull boy. In answer to your question, I came to see if you'd heard anything further about the Tokyo hotel project I suggested?"

For some reason Sesshōmaru could not fathom, Rin had gotten it into her head that she wanted to establish a luxury hotel for yokai and other supernatural creatures in Tokyo. She argued it was so they would have somewhere nice to stay when they visited, but also one that generated revenue when they weren't in town and was more multipurpose than a house. Considering that they hadn't returned to Japan since they'd left over four hundred years ago and that he still owned a small amount of land in Matsue, Sesshōmaru failed to see the logic. Especially since he was no longer the Japanese "Lord of the West."

"Rin. I explained to you that acquiring property in Tokyo would not be as simple as you made it sound, particularly when you desire said property to be a business venture. While this Sesshōmaru is by no means insignificant, our stature in the Japanese yokai community is not what it was four or five hundred years ago. There are politics to consider, clan leaders to negotiate with, contracts to be made…"

She crossed her arms, expression growing stubborn. "And?"

Sesshōmaru blinked. "Whatever do you mean, 'and'?"

"I know you—or Jaken, rather—contacted Kōga for information about the clan ruling the Kanto area. Have you gotten in touch with them? What did they say?"

He sucked in a deep breath, counted to ten, and let it out slowly. _As loath as I am to make the comparison, the girl can be like a dog with a bone when she gets her mind set on things…_ "Remind me again _why_ you are so insistent we pursue this venture? I am not criticizing your business proposal—you have had a keen eye for promising investments in the past. However, why _Tokyo_ , and why the impatience?"

"For starters, why not?" She swiped at the silvery strands of hair in her face, shoving them behind her ears. "Also, why not Tokyo? I want Kentarō to see where his father was born, to visit his grandfather and Kikyō's shrine—"

"Assuming it still stands."

Rin frowned. "It does."

" _Hn_." The way she was fidgeting with her hair indicated there was more than just her wanting her son to see Tokyo. "And? Why _now_?"

" _Anō_ … So…you remember Hachi? Miroku's friend?" When he stared at her blankly, she added, "The tanuki?"

"Ah yes, right. I thought he died in one of those damned Gokadoin purges?"

"Yes, he did, but I've stayed in touch with one of his daughters, Yae. She's sort of an…informant for her clan as the Shikoku yokai and the Nuragumi are… Well, for lack of a better word, frenemies. Anyway…according to her, the Nuragumi Third Heir is mixed up with a miko…a miko from the Higurashi shrine," she said, and though she was clearly trying to keep it reined in, her excitement crept in at the end of her explanation.

"Rin, just because she's descended from Inuyasha and Kikyō doesn't mean she's friendly toward yokai. She may not want to have anything to do with you."

"Not if what Yae says is true! She says the _Sandaime_ and this miko are dating."

Sesshōmaru raised an eyebrow, and then shook his head. "Evidently Kikyō's genes must be strong in the girl. Though Nurarihyon always was eccentric…" There was no telling, and he didn't _really_ care. He sighed. _But Rin does…and that has potential to be problematic_. "Don't get your hopes up that she'll want to befriend you, Rin."

"And maybe you should be more optimistic. She is, after all, your many times removed niece."

At that, Sesshōmaru scoffed. " _Tch_. In name only. And barely even that…"

Rin shrugged, undeterred, and then narrowed her eyes at him. "All right, 'Maru, quid pro quo. I answered your questions of why, so tell me—have you or Jaken had contact with the Nura clan?"

"Yes, Jaken has communicated with someone in the Nuragumi. Kentarō and I will stop over in Tokyo for a few days next week en route to the meeting in Sydney. In the event that I'm able to secure a deal amenable to all parties involved, the fox will accompany you and the two of you can handle it from there."

She nodded, smiling. "Thank you." Then, "Hey, wait a minute! Why's Kentarō going with _you_?"

" _Hn_. I wager 'because I said so' is not going to suffice?" At her scowl, he gave a low chuckle. "Because if your son's going to be my heir—no, don't argue, we both know you are not nearly as interested in it as you pretend to be—the brat has a lot to learn. And also, he's heading up the deal in Sydney. A trial run, with me there to ensure things go smoothly."

Her expression softened. "Thank you for mentoring him…even if sometimes I complain about how strict you are… And yes, I know you think I'm too soft on him. Don't even go there." Then Rin's brows furrowed, and she straightened. "You said Shippō will go with me?"

"Yes, apparently, despite being pregnant, his wife intends to accept a visiting professorship position at the University of Tokyo. She doesn't want to be away from Shippō during the duration of the hotel project, or some such nonsense." The fox had rambled on incessantly about the vixen and his daughters and unborn son during the course of their phone conversation, making Sesshōmaru regret that he had not simply emailed to discuss Shippō's accompanying Rin to Tokyo.

Rin held up her hands in a timeout gesture, frowning. "Whoa, whoa, you already talked to him, didn't you? I _am_ capable of taking care of myself, you know!"

Sesshōmaru snorted. "Yes, I'm quite aware, but that still doesn't mean I want you going alone." He handed her a sheet of paper listing flight information as she huffed. "Shippō will meet you at Sea-Tac, and you will fly together—"

"Aren't you all getting a bit ahead of yourselves?" Rin interrupted. "What if you don't secure a deal with the Nura clan?"

A smirk spread across his face. Sure, moments earlier he had been the one lecturing her about the uncertainty of doing business in Tokyo, but at the end of the day…he was _still_ Sesshōmaru. "Rin, when have I _ever_ not gotten a business deal I wanted? I may not be able to guarantee you anything about that miko, but I can assure you, before I leave Tokyo, you will have your property."

* * *

Kagome finished the passage she was reading for homework with a yawn and stretched. After he'd filled her in on the details of his and Ryūji's investigation, Rikuo had inquired about her knowledge of the Gokadoin, which led to both explaining things—for Rikuo, his involvement with them, and Kagome, her independent study research materials from the Keikain. Rikuo had expressed interest in the Keikain archives; to Kagome's surprise, he'd been more curious about her past than whatever misguided onmyoji propaganda they had about him and the Nuragumi.

As she took a break from studying, massaging the muscles in her neck, it occurred to her that Rikuo had been exceptionally quiet for quite some time. From the kitchen table where he sat with her laptop, he had been periodically mumbling comments about the material—or more frequently, snide commentary about the pompous asshats, err, onmyoji. Glancing over, she discovered why.

Rikuo's head was still cradled in his hand, but at some point, his arm had slid down so that he was now awkwardly reclined against the edge of the table. His fringe hung messily over his eyes, which she could now see were closed. Kagome stifled a smile. It certainly didn't look like a comfortable position to sleep in, yet he was definitely asleep.

 _Should I wake him? Tell him to go lie down?_ She couldn't decide. If he were anything like her, he might not be able to go back to sleep. And he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, thanks to her and her nightmares, not to mention she knew firsthand how exhausting talking about one's traumatic past could be.

 _Still…lying like that, he's going to wind up with one hell of a crick in his neck._

She got up and padded softly over to the kitchen table. She didn't want to startle him like she had at the cat sanctuary, especially now that she knew all that he'd been through. So how best to wake him?

"Rikuo?" No response. She tried again, a little louder this time. "Rikuo?" He murmured something drowsily but remained unconscious.

Kagome crossed her arms, thinking. Should she try her reiki? But if he didn't realize it was her, he could react badly, and she didn't want that to happen for either of their sake's. Maybe best to tap him on the shoulder? Hmm…

Just as she was starting to reach toward him, Kagome felt his youki fluctuate. Odd, since most of the time, she could hardly sense his youki even with her shields thinned, which they were at present. She'd taken Ryūji's comment to heart and had decided to work on her awareness of various energies with Rikuo while she studied. Of course, he wasn't necessarily the _best_ choice given his ability to hide his youki so well. _But it's another way to practice when I'm not at the cat sanctuary…and he's safe._ Plus, for some reason, since she'd learned he was a hanyō, the more time they spent together, the easier it was for her to pick up on his subtle youki.

Then, she felt a tendril of his energy prod her aura slightly. It was the oddest sensation, not at all threatening or even defensive, more like it was identifying her. She couldn't say why, perhaps instinct, but a wisp of her own power extended as if of its own volition.

 _Shit! What the hell am I doing?_ Kagome yanked her reiki back, hoping it wouldn't be interpreted as some kind of attack. But to her relief, his youki didn't react in any volatile fashion; the fluctuation dissipated entirely, as if it had never existed, and Rikuo snoozed the entire time.

Her lips curved upward as she gazed down at him; much like Inuyasha had, Rikuo appeared far younger and more innocent in his sleep—not at all the visage of a man with a troubled past, a man who led one of Japan's most powerful yokai clans and had saved the world as a teen. And a few more of the walls Kagome had erected around her heart tumbled down.

He looked so peaceful right now, though she knew all too well how deceptive that was. Rest undisturbed by vivid nightmares was a luxury, not a given. _I hate to wake him, but…_ Her own neck ached in sympathy for how he would feel if he stayed like that. So she cautiously brushed her hand over his cheek, sweeping back a lock of the hair that had fallen into his eyes.

Rikuo leaned into her touch, and his eyelashes fluttered open slowly. He blinked several times, and then a slow, sleepy smile spread across his face.

"Hey, blue eyes. Whatcha doin'?"

"You dozed off, and I worried you'd wake up with one hellacious neck ache lying like that."

He sat up and yawned. "Sorry. I didn't realize…"

Kagome shook her head and tugged him up out of the chair. "Shut it. Clearly you need the rest. Why don't you lie down on the sofa for a bit? I can work here at the table."

Surprisingly, he let her lead him to the couch— _he must be more tired than I thought!—_ and lay down on his side, tucking one arm up under his head. But when she started to pick up her books and move, he grabbed her hand. "You don't have to move. Stay."

"Ehh? But…"

Rikuo scooted back slightly, leaving space for her to sit. "Plenty of room for us both…" His words slurred as they trailed off into a yawn.

Kagome shrugged and sat back down on the sofa. Instantly Rikuo's right arm looped around her waist, and he pulled her in close as he curled his body around hers. Another yawn sounded from him, and she couldn't help but laugh lightly. "Comfortable?"

"Mmhmm. You?"

To her amazement, she was. "Actually, yes." She twisted to the left to look down at him. His eyes were closed, lips quirked in a contented smirk. After a moment or two, his breathing shallowed and his face relaxed as he drifted to sleep.

 _Must be nice to fall asleep so quickly!_ Though she had to wonder if that was the norm for him or not. _Back to work, Kagome. Focus._ She thumbed open one of her textbooks, resuming where she'd left off earlier.

It took her about half an hour to complete the assigned portion from that text and then another thirty minutes for the next reading in a separate book. Once she was finished, Kagome snuck another peek at Rikuo. He hadn't moved since he'd snuggled up to her, his arm still wrapped around her. She gave in to temptation and ran her fingers through his hair gently. As he had earlier, he leaned into her touch, yet this time he didn't wake.

Happiness suffused her at the realization that he obviously trusted her to let himself be so vulnerable around her. Though, really, she hardly needed this confirmation of his trust—he'd made that quite evident a week ago when he'd told her he was a yokai. So then why did she feel so happy?

For that matter, how had she wound up here, with this man? A man who somehow, without her noticing, had infiltrated her defenses, breaking down her carefully erected walls piece by piece. When had he become so dear to her?

She didn't know, but it scared her. She'd been okay at first— _more than okay, really,_ she thought with a grin—as she'd basked in the endorphin-buzzed post-coital afterglow. But as was too often the case with all aspects of her life, eventually, anxiety and self-doubt started creeping back in.

 _What now? Where do we go from here? What even is_ here _, this_ whatever _between us?_

At that, Kagome frowned, mentally pushing back against the negativity and anxious internal turmoil. _I cared enough to be honest with him, and he cared enough to do so with me_. Her heart had ached, literally at times, as Rikuo had relayed his story to her, the horrific things he'd had to face. Even now tears stung her eyes, tears of frustration, pain, anger at the hardships they'd both endured.

She clenched a fist against the top of her thigh, wiping the other hand across her eyes. Yes, she had feelings for him, beyond mere friendship. And yes, examining those budding emotions made her feel vulnerable, and she was usually loath to do anything that made her feel helpless. However, somehow, today felt different. Perhaps it was finally, _finally_ , being able to be completely honest, about _everything_ , without worrying about how the person listening was going to feel or if they would judge her. Learning that Rikuo was a yokai, or hanyō, likely played a part as well. Hell, maybe it had even been the great sex. _Who knows?_ Whatever the cause, all those feelings she'd compartmentalized, forcibly squashed out of anxiety, had begun to sneak out of their box.

So yes, in spite of her fear, she wanted this. _This_ being recognizing and consciously admitting that she was falling in love with Nura Rikuo. As much as the thought of falling in love frightened her, the idea of letting Rikuo go, of not pursuing him caused a wave of queasiness to wash over her.

So…she wouldn't let go. Instead, she would trust. In Rikuo, in herself, in whatever _they_ were and could be.

Besides, she was already falling… Might as well enjoy the ride down.

"Yen for your thoughts?"

At the murmured questions, she glanced down. Rikuo's chocolate-brown eyes were heavy lidded, the corners of his lips angled upward in a gentle smile. Her heart skipped a beat. She wasn't sure what was more attractive—those sexy smirks of his or this soft drowsy smile full of blatant affection.

 _Yep. Swan-dive-off-a-cliff level of falling… You are so fucked._

She shoved the thoughts away, to deal with later. "Have a good nap?"

His reply came on a contented sigh. "Uh-huh." Then, "What time is it?"

"Two thirty."

Rikuo sat up and fished his cell phone out of his pocket, squinting at it. With a sigh, he said, "I hate to run, blue eyes, but there's a few things I need to do before we meet up with Ryūji tonight."

"What, your yokai clan won't run itself?" Kagome grinned at him. "In all seriousness, you're fine. Go on, and I'll meet you at the Bakenekoya at around, hmm, five thirty, quarter to sixish? I'll give you a head's-up when I leave the cat sanctuary."

"All right. Sorry for falling asleep…"

She gave him a sidelong glance. "Well…it _is_ becoming a bit of a habit. I might start to think you find me boring." She said it deadpan, but when Rikuo's eyes widened in realization, Kagome couldn't hold back a snicker at his expense.

"Oi…" He rubbed at his neck, a smidgen of pink coloring his cheeks. "Cut a guy some slack, will ya? Been a little busy, not much sleep, you know?" When she pursed her lips, pretending to speculate, he placed his hands on her cheeks, gently tilting her face up toward his and kissed first her forehead and then her lips. "I could never find you boring, blue eyes."

Kagome shrugged. _He says that now, but…_ a little voice whispered in the back of her mind. She ignored the old insecurity in favor of smiling at him and saying, "It was a joke, silly. You didn't exactly have premium sleeping accommodations last night, plus I have a funny feeling you routinely don't get enough sleep."

Rikuo waved dismissively, which only confirmed her suspicions about his lacking sleep, and stood, holding out his hand to help her up. Then he straightened his clothes, well, as best he could given their slept-in state, and combed his fingers through his hair. A gesture Kagome silently questioned, considering the fact it always had a spiky, slightly mussed look going for it.

Before they reached her front door, he paused and turned to her. " _Ne_ , Kagome, after we meet with Ryūji, want to come over, meet the clan?" He said it casually, but she didn't miss the hopeful gleam in his eyes, a silent plea that warmed her heart. Perhaps he too was somewhat anxious about the progression of their relationship, despite his apparent composure?

She nodded, smiling broadly. "I'd love to! _Anō_ … You mentioned before that they might use it as an excuse to have a party… Are they going to want to…" She wasn't sure she was up for that level of pressure and being that much of the center attention quite yet.

Rikuo tugged her to him, wrapping an arm around her waist. "How about this? I won't even tell them in advance, so they won't be able to go overboard and do anything crazy. And I won't tell them you're the shikon miko either. That's your story to tell, whenever you choose to tell it. If it weren't for the fact that the curse may affect your aging, I wouldn't care if you never told them."

Kagome returned his hug and then pulled back slightly, shaking her head. "No, no more secrets. We don't necessarily have to tell them tonight, and we can figure out together the best way to approach it, but I am _done_ with keeping secrets."

He chuckled. "Understood. All right, blue eyes, I've got to go." He leaned down to kiss her, and the kiss rapidly escalated from a brief good-bye peck to something deeper and more passionate. When they parted, his eyes were dark with desire, and he thrust a hand through his hair, exhaling harshly. "Fuck…"

"Mmhmm…" Kagome murmured, agreeing wholeheartedly with the sentiment, sorely tempted to ask him if he had to leave that instant. But she didn't want to be selfish, so she laid a hand on his chest and pushed gently. "Off with you, _Sandaime_ , before I get you in trouble with your clan."

" _Tch_." Rikuo gave her a cocky grin. "In trouble with my clan, she says. Did you forget I'm the leader?"

She laughed. "No, which is why you should go and act like said leader. This"—she licked her lips, returning his grin with one of her own—"we can finish later?"

"Fuck," he repeated, swallowing hard.

"That's the plan," she said teasingly as she opened her front door, and he groaned.

"Seriously, blue eyes? _Seriously_? Gods, you're going to be the death of me."

"You know, if you consider that some refer to an orgasm as ' _la petite mort_ '…technically, you're not wrong." Kagome's lips twitched as she struggled to keep a straight face.

In a heartbeat, her front door slammed closed, and she found herself pressed against the wall behind it, Rikuo's lips claiming hers in a bruising kiss. _Oh holy hell…forget not being selfish…_

He kissed her ruthlessly, plundering her mouth, as he slid his hands up under her shirt and bra, thumbing and pinching her nipples. His caresses were just this side of painful, in the best way, and Kagome moaned as the sensations sent arousal zipping through her like lightning. She ground against his knee between her legs, reaching a hand out to touch him…

Rikuo stepped back, and her eyes shot open. "What—"

He smirked and winked at her. "Two can play that game."

"Two can…" It took a moment for the statement to pierce her lust-clouded brain. Then she glared at him, hands clenching into fists. "You…you asshole!" she burst out, and he laughed. A laugh that shifted to a loud yelp when she launched a not-so-small spark of reiki at him.

"Oi, not nice!"

"Neither was you teasing me!"

"You started it, you know…"

Kagome ground her teeth. "Very mature, Rikuo…"

He shrugged, clearly unrepentant. _The bastard_. "All's fair in love and war, beautiful."

"Don't think flattery will get you off the hook, mister," she said, poking him in the chest forcefully. "You may have won this battle, but you haven't won the 'war' yet."

"Well, then, blue eyes, in that case… I look forward to my 'little death' at your hands," he said, his voice a husky murmur that sent chills down her spine.

She was having an extremely hard time not throwing responsibility to the wind. "You're evil," she said, slipping away from him to yank her door back open. "Or at bare minimum, a pervert."

"Never claimed to be otherwise," Rikuo said flippantly, and she rolled her eyes, pointing toward the doorway.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get your hentai yokai ass out of here, then, before this miko purifies you."

"You'd miss me." He gave her a quick kiss. "See you later, blue eyes."

"Yep, I'll text you when I head to the Bakenekoya." She waved at him before closing the door.

Pain in the ass man. How was she supposed to focus on school after that?

* * *

"You did _what_?" Yura's inhale could be heard over the phone line, followed by a deliberately slow exhale. "I'm sorry—I must have misheard you. Because I know you did not just say what I think you did."

Ryūji scowled but tried his best to sound contrite. Guilt was _not_ his favorite emotion. "Look, I get it. I fucked up, I apologized, and it won't happen again. Let's move on."

"No, let's not." Yura's tone was frostier than a yuki onna's youki. "I _knew_ you were lying to me about thinking she had some connection to this case. But stupid me, I gave you the benefit of the doubt and trusted you. My mistake." She made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. "Ryūji, what on earth were you thinking? I don't care if this girl is the godsdamned shikon miko herself, you had _no_ right—"

Yura's tirade was interrupted by someone speaking in the background. Loudly.

"Yura-chan! Did you say the shikon miko?"

"Not now, Hidemoto."

"But what about the shikon miko? Is that Ryūji-kun? Let me—"

He heard the sounds of a scuffle and his sister's infuriated squawks, and then an overly cheerful voice came across the line. "Yoohoo, Ryūji-kun! Why're you looking into the shikon miko?"

"Err…well… I'm not exactly… There's a girl here whose family shrine supposedly housed the sacred jewel at one point."

"Oh? What's her name?"

He answered, but only so he could get off the phone. He had no desire to talk to either Yura or Hidemoto any longer than he had to. "Higurashi."

"Hidemoto! Give that back!" Yura grumbled in the background. "It's rude to snatch someone's phone…"

Hidemoto ignored her, humming. "Higurashi? Don't know that name, but it's possible at some point the shikon no tama was at that shrine if it's the same one as where the miko Kikyō lived."

 _That name!_ He knew he should ask, but… "Was she the shikon miko?"

"Not sure. According to the grandchildren of a couple who traveled with the shikon miko, no. They claimed it was a different woman. An interesting trio, those kids. Came to us after their home and school in Hida Province was destroyed. Had some fascinating knowledge of yokai and weaponry—I'd imagine that's where Akifusa gets it from. He's descended from the girl, Tomiko, you know? Her brother, Akihiko, was more of a scholar, though surprisingly popular with the ladies—"

"Okay, time's up, you," Yura broke in. "Why don't you go play online or pester someone else? Actually, go browse that paranormal forum and see if you have any ideas."

She must have snatched the phone back, for her voice grew more clear. "Any help you could provide to get my darling, sweet brother home sooner would be most appreciated," Yura added, a faint trace of malice underlying her words. It didn't bode well for him once he returned to Kyoto.

"I didn't ask him to tell me all that, you know."

"Perhaps not, but I doubt you did much to discourage him either. Ryūji, solve this case and get back here. I don't care if you have to forgo sleep—I want it done and you out of there. Like…yesterday."

He snorted. Easier said than done. "Yeah, yeah, I'm trying."

"Try harder. See what Nura-kun thinks about the kid Haruka-chan gave you the file on. She's got good instincts, so could be something's up there. Just get it done, okay? Bye, onii-chan." Then, without waiting for his reply, she hung up.

 _Apologies to Yura and Kagome done and done._ Now maybe Haruka would speak to him again. Her comments and obvious disappointment had not sat well with him. Particularly since, admittedly, she was right.

"Whatever, it's over. Moving on," he said out loud, unwilling to linger on the issue any further. He glanced at his watch. Almost time to meet Kagome and Rikuo at the Bakenekoya.

 _Fucking yokai…_ Rikuo had claimed meeting up there was out of convenience for Kagome since she had to swing by the cat sanctuary first. _Hah. A likely story…_

Eyeing the heavy cloud cover out the window, he grabbed his cloak, swinging it around his shoulders, and then gathered the notes and relevant files, tucking them in an inside pocket before heading out the door.

* * *

Rikuo was waiting outside the Bakenekoya, and when he saw Ryūji turn the corner, he strolled over, his easy gait belying the fury within.

"Don't know why we had to meet—"

Rikuo's fist collided with Ryūji's jaw with a satisfying crack, sending the onmyoji staggering. Several people on the street stared, but no one attempted to comment or intervene. Nearly all of them knew Rikuo in some capacity, so it was likely they figured Ryūji had it coming. _He did._

When Ryūji straightened, his shikigami bamboo bottles were in his hands, rage filling his face. "The fuck was that for?"

"That," Rikuo spat, "was for Kagome. For invading her privacy and blackmailing her, and for whatever else you did that she refrained from telling me. Be thankful I'm settling for just that because, truthfully, I'd like to snap your godsdamned spine, you prick."

Ryūji wiped away blood from his mouth, and Rikuo saw something resembling guilt flicker in his gray eyes for a split second. Then the onmyoji affected disinterest and tucked the bamboo flasks back within the folds of his cloak. " _Tch_. Whatever. And where is your little miko girlfriend?"

"At work, idiot, like we told you she would be. She'll be heading over in a few minutes."

A low rumbling had them both tipping their heads back, regarding the sky heavy-laden with dark clouds. Moments later, fat raindrops splattered on them and the sidewalk around them, the accompanying wind ruffling Rikuo's hair and making his haori flap.

They ducked under an awning, and Rikuo's thoughts immediately went to Kagome. Had she brought an umbrella? Should he take one to her? _It's not that far, but…_ He didn't want her to get soaked. As he deliberated, his phone buzzed, alerting him to a text from Kagome.

"She's on her way," Rikuo said, and Ryūji nodded.

Suddenly, a chill skittered down his spine, and goose bumps prickled along his skin. _Something's wrong…_

What, he didn't know. But intuition told him to head in the direction of the Bakeneko cat sanctuary.

And strangely enough, Ryūji followed silently, his posture guarded and on alert.

* * *

Kagome stared at the rain falling steadily and sighed. Of course it would start raining now. Why hadn't she thought to bring an umbrella? After tossing the garbage in the dumpster and locking the back door, Kagome tugged her jacket around her tightly and hurried down the alley behind the cat sanctuary, pulling out her phone to text Rikuo that she was on her way.

In doing so, she wasn't looking where she was going, and as she neared the end of the alleyway, she smacked into something. Or someone, rather. She tried to right herself, but her footing was less sure on the wet pavement and she slipped, falling to one knee.

 _Ow…_

A voice spoke from above her. "Sorry about that. You okay, miss?"

Kagome stuck her phone in her pocket and looked up to apologize, but the words died on her tongue.

A man stood in front of her in the entrance to the alley, his hand extended in offer to help her up, smiling widely.

What had caught her off guard, though, was the way the dim light from the streetlights glinted off his fangs.

Oh, holy hell. A vampire? _No fucking way._

"Something the matter?"

 _Perhaps a trick of the light?_ Kagome forced herself to smile despite the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. "N-no. Sorry." She let him help her to her feet and then, hoping to escape the unsettling situation quickly, said, "Thanks. Have a good night."

To her dismay, he didn't move out of her way; instead, he took a step closer toward her. "What's the rush?"

Mental alarm bells clanged stridently as Kagome glanced around furtively. _No one else in sight, shit_. Granted, it wasn't a busy street, not with the cemetery and no through road, and especially not on a Monday when the sanctuary wasn't open. But she'd allowed herself to hope for a second. _Looks like I'm on my own_.

She tried to smile at the man and gestured toward the sky. "Well, the rain, for one. And I'm running late to meet my b-boyfriend."

Kagome swore internally as the term rolled clumsily off her tongue, unaccustomed to referring to Rikuo that way. But because of that, it wound up sounding like a lie.

His smile grew predatory. "Oh, is that so? Well, why don't we escort you? It can be dangerous for a woman by herself after dark."

Her blood turned to ice. "We?"

A second man appeared from around the corner, his sinister grin revealing fangs as well. "Hello, sweetheart. Won't you make such a lovely offering to our mistress?"

 _Shit shit shit!_ She had to get out of there. _Now_.

"Yeah, appreciate it, but no thanks. If you'll excuse me…"

Kagome feinted left and then bolted to the right, hoping surprise would get her past Guy #1.

Luck was not on her side.

Pain stung her scalp, tears springing to her eyes, as he caught her by her ponytail.

"Ah ah ah…" he tsked. With startling quickness, he slapped a hand over her mouth and nose and wrenched her arm behind her with his other hand.

"Eiji."

"Got it."

The cold rain pelted them relentlessly as the guy restraining her dragged her further into the dark alleyway. Kagome struggled and flailed uselessly, terror coursing through her, blotting out all rational thought.

 _Hard to breathe! Oh gods, if I can't breathe—!_

Her free hand flew up reflexively, grasping and scratching ineffectively at the arm by her face.

"Don't scream, and everything will be fine."

 _Like hell it will!_

These vampire bastards had fucked with the wrong miko.

Kagome let her reiki flare wildly out of control. But to her ever-increasing horror, despite lashing out, her reiki had no effect whatsoever on the men before her. In fact, they didn't even seem to notice. Fear momentarily kept her captive, frozen in place as her mind raced.

 _Not yokai? Are they…human?_

In a flash, it hit her. It really didn't matter—she was just beginning to find happiness again, and the thought of not surviving some random attack in an alley royally pissed her off.

Kagome thrashed in the man's hold, biting his fingers viciously and slamming her heel into his shin. She felt him startle and heard his hiss of pain, but instead of pulling his hand away, the guy dug his fingers more firmly into her jaw.

"Like biting, do you?" he snarled. Then he jerked her head to one side and bit her.

His teeth tore into her flesh, and the pouring rain combined with his hand muffled her scream. The white-hot agony that ripped through her neck nearly caused her to miss the man called Eiji coming up and jabbing something into her leg.

A sharp burning sensation pierced her thigh, and then Eiji stepped away. He held up an object, leering at her as the other man withdrew his teeth from her neck.

Kagome's panic skyrocketed as she realized what that _something_ was.

A syringe.

Her survival instincts launched into high gear. She threw her head back as hard as she could, smashing it into the man holding her.

"Bitch!"

It hurt like hell, but his grip on her loosened. His hand slid down slightly, and she inhaled precious air through her nose.

Then she twisted her hips and used all of her body weight to ram her elbow into his gut.

He released her with a pained wheeze, but as she scrambled away, Eiji grabbed for her.

 _I don't fucking think so!_

Screaming for help at the top of her lungs, Kagome stepped into his approach and thrust the heel of her palm straight into his nose. It made a sickening crunch, and the man howled as he clutched his hands to his face.

"You stupid bitch!"

 _Get away before whatever they injected you with kicks in!_

But she'd barely started to run when something caught her ankle, knocking her to the ground, pain spiking through her wrists as she hit the wet pavement, hard.

"Where the _fuck_ do you think you're going?"

He yanked her up by her hair and backhanded her. She stumbled and fell to her knees, head swimming and tasting blood as her lip split. The torrential rain stung the throbbing wound on her neck, and she reached up to press a hand against it, wincing.

 _Run, idiot!_

Kagome clumsily rose to her feet, unsettled by the dawning realization that her limbs were beginning to feel strange. A slow, tingling numbness that she doubted was from her soaking wet clothes.

 _Hurry up!_

One of the guys shoved her against a wall, Eiji probably, given the blood running between the fingers holding his rapidly swelling nose. Kagome observed, somewhat detached, that her shoulder didn't hurt nearly as much as it should have from the impact. Nor did her neck, for that matter.

A distant piece of her mind pointed out that that was probably _not_ good.

"Hey, let her go."

"The fuck?"

The guy who had bitten her pulled Eiji away, forcing him to release her. "Hang on. Let's have a little fun with our prey."

To Kagome, he said, "You're a feisty one, aren't ya? Well, feisty girl, wanna play a game? You make it there"—he pointed to the entrance of the alley and the street—"we'll let you go."

"Dude, what are you doing?" his friend snapped.

"She'll never make it…"

 _Oh yes, I will,_ Kagome thought, gritting her teeth. Only…those few yards never felt so far away as they did now.

She willed her leaden feet to move. _Faster!_

Then, somehow, she felt his familiar youki before she heard his voice.

"Kagome!"

Seemingly out of nowhere, Rikuo dropped down into the alley a couple feet from her, and euphoric relief flowed through her. As the alleyway began to spin, her vision blurring, she lurched toward him with a maddening amount of effort, growing more light-headed and dizzy.

 _A little…further…_

Just as her legs gave out, strong arms caught her, a feeling of déjà vu washing over her. She tilted her head back and squinted at Rikuo's distorted image. She blinked rapidly, but it didn't help clear her vision. His youki surged and whipped around him violently, his crimson eyes nearly black with rage, and it occurred to Kagome that if she didn't know him, she might actually be frightened.

Darkness crept into her sight, and her last thought before unconsciousness claimed her was, _I always did hate this damsel in distress shit…_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**  
1\. Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger ;-) For one, that chapter was getting WAY too long, and two, it was just the logical place to stop. And also I'm a self-indulgent asshole who wanted to do it. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ But I do hope y'all enjoyed the chapter at least!

2\. Speaking of self-indulgence...for anyone interested, the Nurarihyon/Yohime AU I mentioned at the beginning is still in progress and I'm not going to start posting chapters of it till it is at least 90% complete. However...I'm hoping to have it finished sometime this century, as I'm so excited to share it...even though it's primarily having way too much fun with tropes and overindulging my own amusement...so plenty floofy fluff.


	24. Chapter 23

~insert gif of Mushu from Mulan~ I liiiiiiiiiiiiveeeee! Sorry about the stupidly long delay. See the author's note at the end for some of my ramblings… or not ;-)

 _(Note: edited to fix the damn formatting since this hell site hates me)_

* * *

 **Quotes**

"Keep it up, wise guy. I'm always going to be taller than you once you're lying unconscious on the ground."  
 **–Keikain Ryūji** , probably. (Actually, it's from Jim Butcher's _Small Favor_ )

"Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but—I hope—into a better shape."  
 **–Charles Dickens,** _Great Expectations_

* * *

Unbridled rage heated Rikuo's blood and youki to boiling, his Fear unfurling and lashing around him.

"Kagome!"

Her eyes were glassy as she staggered toward him and Ryūji, and seeing her knees buckle, Rikuo leapt forward, catching her just in time. Her head lolled back, and she blinked up at him before going completely limp in his arms, her eyes remaining open yet sightless. _What the hell?_ He took a second to quickly check her for injuries, spotting the numerous scrapes on her hands, her split lip and—

A snarl ripped from him as his gaze landed on her neck. There, she was bleeding…from a fucking _bite_. One of those bastards had _bitten_ her? However, it didn't appear to be serious enough to cause her to lose consciousness. _Just what the fuck happened here?_ _To her?_

Rikuo scooped her up, cradling her precariously against his chest in his left arm, his sword in his right hand. His gaze locked on the men who had done this to her, and he felt blood lust spike within him.

One of them thrust his shoulders back arrogantly. "Dude, the fuck. You can't just poach her like that."

"Yeah, hand her over and nobody gets hurt," the other said.

" _Nobody gets hurt?_ " Rikuo's grip on Nenekirimaru tightened. He didn't usually derive pleasure from killing, but tonight, he was going to enjoy it. A lot. _A pity I can't take my time…_

But before he could take another step, though, Ryūji flung his arm out, blocking Rikuo's path. "Wait!"

His pulse a loud pounding in his ears, Rikuo bared his teeth at the onmyoji. "What?"

"They're human."

He reined in his fury enough to check. _Damnit. He's right._ Rikuo wrestled with the overwhelming urge to kill them regardless, to eviscerate the men before him and to hell with the consequences. _The assholes are getting off easy—letting them live is a kindness they do_ not _deserve._

Although sorely tempted, he refused to knowingly kill a human ever again. Instead, he moved swiftly and struck first one man, then the other, in the head with the hilt of his sword. They both crumpled instantly.

"Shit, Rikuo." Disapproval rang in Ryūji's voice. "You can't just knock people out like that—you'll give them brain damage, or worse."

"Do you really think I give a damn about _their_ well-being?" he growled, sheathing his sword and repositioning Kagome into a more secure hold.

"Maybe not, but _she_ will."

Rikuo wanted to care, really, but he couldn't find it within him to feel a shred of remorse. "Not exactly a priority. I'm entrusting this to you—I need to get her to Zen."

"Fine." Then his gray eyes flicked to Kagome, and Rikuo saw the barely concealed worry in them. "Take care of her. I'll head your way once I've dealt with this."

Confident Ryūji was more than capable of handling it, Rikuo bolted for the clan house, using his Fear to weave through the streets unseen.

" _Sandaime_!" Kurōmaru called out as he descended to fly alongside Rikuo. "What happened?"

"No time to explain. Right now, I need Zen's help—tell him Kagome's hurt and I'm on my way. I'll take her straight to my room. Also, is Natsumi home?"

He shook his head. "No, I believe Torii-san is on campus and Kurotabō is with her…"

 _Shit. Her night class, of course._ "Kagome's gonna need dry clothes. Ask Mom or Tsurara to either bring some to my room or give them to Zen."

Kurōmaru gave a sharp nod in response. " _Hai_ , Rikuo-sama." With a rustle of feathers, Kurōmaru was gone, and Rikuo single-mindedly raced toward help for Kagome.

The rain finally starting to slow down, it took not more than five or six minutes to arrive, but the unresponsive woman in his arms had him utterly terrified. Thank fuck she was still breathing.

His appearance caused a stir among the yokai gathered along the house's engawa and in the courtyard, and clan members crowded around him.

 _Too close!_ He bit back the low growl rising in his throat at their proximity to Kagome, fierce protectiveness for her mingling with his anger at those who had attacked her. He forced the latter away—anger would serve no purpose; he needed composure and calm to be of any use to Kagome right now.

Rikuo ignored the rapid-fire questions from his clan as he tried to make his way quickly toward his room through the inquisitive yokai. He heard Tsurara start to speak up, presumably to tell them to give him space, when a booming voice rose above the clamor.

"Everybody, _move_! Get the hell out of Rikuo-sama's way—questions can wait!"

The noise died down immediately, and everyone backed away, chagrined looks on their faces. Rikuo glanced to his right and met Aotabō's gaze, flashing a grateful smile. Aotabō grinned back and nodded.

He threw his door open with a loud thwack, further relieved upon seeing Zen and his mother awaiting him, towels and a dry yukata in her arms.

Zen hurried over, eyes wide with concern. "What the fu—uh…" His gaze slid to Rikuo's mom. " _Warui na_ , Wakana-sama. What happened?"

"Honestly, I'm not completely sure," Rikuo said, as he set Kagome down, propping her limp body against him and helping his mom to wrap one of the large towels around Kagome, clothes and all. Then, Wakana used another to gently wring out her wet hair. He started to continue his explanation to Zen, when his mom interrupted.

"Rikuo, sweetheart… Um…" She smiled, as if trying to soften her words. "Perhaps you should step out? You know, for her privacy while I get her changed and Zen examines her?"

"No, I'm not leaving." Without even thinking, he added, "I've already seen her naked; it's fine." Only when his mother's eyes widened and her mouth dropped into a stunned O did he realize _what_ he'd just said and to _whom_ he had said it.

He grimaced, and as he felt the beginnings of a blush creep into his face, Zen snorted. "About damn time. Ah, no offense, Wakana-sama, but—"

The momentary shock having worn off, Wakana gave Zen a bright smile, patting him on the arm. "No offense taken. I tend to agree with you."

"Ehhhh? _Mom_!"

She ignored Rikuo's protest. "Let's get her out of those soaked clothes, shall we? And you can tell us what happened."

It shouldn't have come as a surprise—she was a mother, after all, and a yokai yakuza's widow—but nevertheless Rikuo was impressed at how his mother listened to the story calmly while stripping off Kagome's wet clothing with smooth efficiency.

He'd just finished when he saw his mom frown as she peeled Kagome's damp jeans off her legs. "Zen-san, there's a small red mark on her thigh." She pointed. "Here."

"Hang on, Wakana-sama," Zen said, and removed the gauze he had been holding firmly to Kagome's neck wound to staunch the bleeding. Apparently satisfied with slowed blood flow, he then leaned over, looking closely at the spot she indicated, pressing lightly. "Hmm… A little swollen, no way to know if it's painful or not until she wakes up…" he mumbled, more to himself than Wakana or Rikuo.

"What's it from?" Rikuo asked.

Zen glanced at him, eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. "Dunno. Could be nothing more than a bug bite or, taking into account her present condition, an injection site." He shrugged and stood back up, waiting while they got Kagome dry and into the yukata. Then, he directed Rikuo to lay her on the futon, and Wakana left, closing the door behind her softly.

As Zen examined Kagome, Rikuo paced restlessly around the room, growing increasingly more concerned, his stomach jumping uneasily each time Zen hummed or clicked his tongue.

Finally, when he could take it no more, a sharp, "Well?" burst out of him.

Zen snapped his fingers, and his tsukumogami scurried over. As he dabbed ointment on her wounds and bandaged her neck, he said, "Well, obviously, this bite is nasty, but I've got it cleaned and applied a salve that'll prevent infection and help with pain. Though, when she comes to, we'll need to find out if she's up to date on her tetanus. Her hands are a lil scraped up, and her right wrist might be lightly sprained—"

 _To hell with a sprained wrist._ Rikuo paused midway through another lap around his room. "Yeah, great, but Zen…she's fucking _unconscious_. Why?"

His sworn brother let out a sigh and answered patiently, "She's been drugged. Hard to say for certain with what or how, but unless she willingly drank something they gave her or they poured it down her throat, I'd guess injection, especially considering the mark on her leg."

"Shit." He resumed his pacing. "Is she going to be all right?"

Zen nodded. "Her blood pressure and heart rate are a little elevated but not enough to be concerned, and her breathing is normal. I'm sure she'll be fine, but for now, I want to keep an eye on her."

"Keep an eye on her? Can't you give her something to counteract it?"

"Without knowing what they gave her? Hell no."

"But—"

"Rikuo, even if I did know, not everything in the world has an 'antidote,'" Zen said exasperatedly. "Do me a favor, will ya? Shut the fuck up."

He ground his teeth, but quieted. Zen could say she was fine all he wanted, but Rikuo wouldn't feel better until she woke up and he could see those beautiful blue eyes and hear her sweet voice. _Fuck Ryūji. Human or not, I should've killed those bastards who did this to her…_ His hands curled into fists as he stalked angrily in another loop around his room.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Zen snapped suddenly, and Rikuo came to a screeching halt. "Will you _sit_ _down_? You're making me nuts."

He glared at Zen, but did as he was told, coming to kneel by Kagome's side. Her hair was still damp and in disarray, and he reached down to brush a few strands of it away from her face. _C'mon, blue eyes. Wake up, will ya?_ He hated this, the way seeing her like this twisted and knotted his insides, but more than that, he hated the helplessness, his inability to do something, anything, to immediately fix it. He took one of her chilled hands in both of his, trying to will her to warm up faster. To wake up faster. How would he live with himself if she died? _No, don't_ even _go there._ _She'll be okay. Zen said she'd be fine_. _She has to be…_

"Rikuo!"

"Eh?" Rikuo glanced over at Zen, who rolled his eyes.

"… _Ttaku_ …did you hear anything I just said?"

"Uh…" He offered a sheepish smile. "No. Sorry, Zen, what did you say?"

"Dude, chill. She's going to be all right," Zen said, annoyance creeping into his tone even as he reassured his friend.

Rikuo wondered if he was being that transparent, or if it was simply that Zen had always been able to read him easily. Likely a combination of the two.

Speaking low, Zen asked, "Anyway, what I said was, do you think she was the target, or was it random?"

"Not sure." Rikuo was silent for several moments. "Hopefully it won't take Ryūji much longer to get here and he can tell us more." A look at his watch. "How long do you think it'll take?" Rikuo asked, referring to Kagome, not Ryūji.

Zen lifted his gaze toward the ceiling, as if praying for patience, and folded his arms over his chest. "I assure you, if I knew, I'd tell you…if for no other reason than to make you quit asking."

"Oh, excuse the hell out of me for being worried…"

Rikuo let one of the hands holding Kagome's drop to his lap, drumming his fingers against the side of his leg. He hoped she could tell them what happened, or that Ryūji had gotten some valuable information—or both. Then, he was going to take every precaution to prevent something like this from occurring ever again.

 _She needs protection when I'm not around… Tsurara maybe? Kubinashi? Hmm, or Ao… When did she say her lease was up? She should move in with me. Would she even want to? Hell, I don't know…_

Zen cleared his throat, pulling Rikuo out of his spiraling thoughts. "Hmm?"

"You gonna clue me into why you're wound so damn tight? Seriously, Rikuo, breathe."

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell his friend to shut the fuck up, that he didn't understand, when it dawned on him that Zen might _not_ understand. After all, he hadn't really clarified the nature of his and Kagome's relationship.

"I'm in love with her," Rikuo said softly, his gaze leaving Kagome only briefly to gauge his friend's reaction.

To his surprise, Zen snorted and rolled his eyes. "No shit. Please, _please_ , don't tell me you're just now realizing this."

"Oi!" Rikuo's indignation warred with his embarrassment. What kind of response was _that_? How long had Zen known? And just how obvious had he been? Heat inched its way up his neck into his face. "How long have—"

"The trip to Tōno. And no, before you get all bent out of shape, I haven't said anything to anyone, though"—Zen grinned wickedly—"if you were trying to be subtle, you've failed miserably."

Rikuo scrubbed a hand down his face, mumbling, "I hate you…"

Zen laughed, then wheezed, and when Rikuo glanced up, he saw Zen was doubled over, still laughing. As was expected, the laughs shifted into coughs shortly thereafter, but even when the coughing fit was over, Zen was still smirking.

"You fucking love me, and you know it," Zen said. "Not the same way you love lil miss miko there, but you love me all the same."

 _He's right, the asshole._ "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You done harassing me? Damnit, Zen, I'm trying to tell you something serious!"

Zen shrugged. "Okay, you love her. So what?"

 _The "so what" is she's the legendary shikon miko, that's what._ Rikuo opened his mouth to say just that but stopped. It wasn't his story to tell. "It's…complicated. We can talk about it later when she's awake. I don't want to do it without her."

Zen gave him an odd look and then shrugged again. "Okay… Well, speaking of serious and complicated…"

Rikuo's stomach clenched, and prickles of panic over Zen's health rushed through him. "Is something wrong? Are you okay? I know your coughing spells have gotten worse lately…"

"I'm fine. Well…all right, I'm not 'fine,' but I'm not dead yet," Zen said defensively. "But…" He paused, letting out a long sigh. "I've decided to step down from the head of the Yakushi sect."

"What?" The question came out in a yelp, and he swallowed thickly before adding, "Why?"

Zen waved at him to hush. "I already told you, I'm not a fucking corpse or bed-ridden invalid just yet, okay? So chill. But the reality is, my health isn't getting any better, and it would be beneficial to my brother to have some transition time while I'm still alive if he needs any guidance as the new head."

Zen's plan was logical, and in any other circumstance, Rikuo might have understood. However, presently, he wasn't exactly in the most rational frame of mind. He didn't want this, didn't want to be reminded of how scared he was of losing Zen. Especially not while he was preoccupied with his concern for Kagome. Sure, in theory it was possible to worry about them both simultaneously, but his nerves were currently too frayed to manage that.

Zen continued to talk, but his words were white noise to Rikuo as his thoughts ran in dizzying circles. _If he wants to step down, have his brother take over, then that means… No. No! He can't… He's not…_ _Stop. He's just having a bad day, or he's overreacting. He's fine._ His throat constricted, and his heart rate spiked.

The looming specter of Zen's mortality was difficult to handle on a normal day, but today? Too damned much. Rikuo's denial and fear rapidly morphed into anger, and he dropped Kagome's hand to slice his arm through the air, effectively cutting Zen off.

"Gods _damnit_ , Zen! Are you fucking kidding me? You're bringing this up _now_ , of all times? Actually, you know what? No."

Zen stopped midsentence, momentarily taken aback. "No? No, I'm not dying? No, you won't accept my brother taking my place? No to _what_ , Rikuo?"

"To all of it!" Rikuo threw his arms up in frustration. "But mostly, no, as in, I can't fucking do this right now." He stabbed a finger toward Kagome. "Kagome was attacked, bitten, and _drugged_ with who-the-fuck-knows-what, in Ukiyoe Town, _my_ territory, and I am fucking _terrified_ about whether or not she's going to be okay, no matter how many times you assure me she will be; I haven't heard from Ryūji yet, which doesn't bode well; and your stupid ass thinks _now_ is an appropriate time to discuss having your brother take over as clan head because oh, hey, you're going to fucking _die_? A subject you know damned well I _hate_ thinking about? I just… I can't, okay?"

Zen's eyes had gone wide during Rikuo's tirade, and once it was over, Zen started laughing quietly, shaking his head. A reaction that only fanned the flames of Rikuo's ire.

"Are you laughing? Seriously? Don't fuck with me, Zen. I am not in the mood."

"Sorry, sorry, it's just—" He paused to cough into his sleeve, grimacing briefly at his arm when he stopped. The flecks of blood that dotted his kimono did not go unnoticed by Rikuo.

 _Nope, not going there. Can't think about it. Can't cope with it and everything else right now._ He forced himself to ignore the very concrete evidence of Zen's worsening health to ask, "You were saying?"

" _Tch_. I was going to say you've more in common with Itaku than either of you might think."

"The hell does that mean? And what does Itaku have to do with any of this?"

Zen shot Rikuo a curious look and then shook his head yet again. "Gods, you're oblivious sometimes." At Rikuo's scowl, he sighed. "All right, I'm sorry. It is shitty timing on my part; I wasn't thinking. But we do need to have this conversation, sooner rather than later, so Itaku will shut the fuck up about it. I'm sick of him nagging me like an old lady."

Rikuo's eyes widened. _Itaku? Nagging? Like an old lady?!_ "Uh…we talking about the same Itaku?"

"Unless you know some other kamaitachi leader of the Tōno yokai…" Zen shrugged. "Uh, yeah. Anyway—"

The sound of a text notification interrupted whatever he'd planned on saying next, and Rikuo pulled out his cell phone, feeling a modicum of relief as he read the short message. "Finally. Ryūji's on his way."

* * *

When Rikuo had dashed off with Kagome, Ryūji eyed the unconscious guys on the pavement in front of him. An unused syringe had slid out of one of their pockets during the scuffle with Rikuo, and Ryūji clenched his jaw in disgust. _You sick sons of bitches…_ He almost regretted not letting Rikuo kill them. Truthfully, he couldn't have cared less about their well-being. He simply wanted them alive and able to answer questions.

Grumbling to himself about the stupid fucking rain, he slung his wet hair out of his eyes and pulled several zip ties out of the inner pocket of his cloak—incredibly useful things, zip ties. Never know when they might come in handy. One of the young men was wearing a light windbreaker, and as he pushed the sleeves up slightly to bind his hands, he spied the edges of a tattoo peeking out. _Could it possibly…?_

He shoved the jacket up his arm and out of the way, eyes narrowing as the entire tattoo was revealed. It wasn't particularly large, certainly not a full sleeve. Not that Ryūji had considered either of the two idiots to be yakuza for one minute. But _this_ was unexpected…

 _Hold up, Ryūji. Once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence._

He checked the inner wrists of the other man as he zip-tied his hands behind his back. No dice. Then, on impulse, he yanked the collar of the man's shirt down. _Bingo._

There, beneath his right collarbone, was an identical tattoo. A black-and-red bleeding crescent moon. Just like his buddy here, and just like the one the dead kid from Haruka's file had had.

 _Three times is a pattern._

And with so little to go on thus far, this lead made Ryūji as close as he got to giddy, meager clue as it was. Three wannabe vampires who were actually human bearing identical tattoos. He made a mental note to get in touch with the Tokyo PD's organized crime division while he waited for the guys to come around. And…loathe as he was to admit it, that hulking Nura Clan member Aotabō might have some helpful insight.

Thankfully, it didn't take too long before they were groaning and blinking, looking around in a daze. "Oh, good, you're alive."

One of them sneered at him. "We're not alive—we're undead, asshole."

Were they for real? Ryūji barked a laugh. "Of course, my mistake. So which one of you is Louis and which is Lestat?"

"Huh?" the second guy said. _A rocket scientist, that one._

"Hmm, guess that's a no, then. Edward and Jacob? Right, sorry, Jacob wasn't a vampire. Well, no matter. I don't actually care."

"What are you going on about, you short little prick? Where's our prey?"

"Yeah, what'd you do with her?"

"Your _prey_? Please…" Ryūji rolled his eyes and hooked a thumb toward the one with a massively swollen nose. "You mean the unarmed girl who broke your face? Oh yeah, you're a real apex predator."

"Fuck you!" he retorted—or rather he tried, but it came out more like, "Fug oo!"

"Besides," Ryūji said, "you morons couldn't take down a day-old kitten on your own. Which I'm assuming is why you drugged her?" He toed the used syringe on the ground and gestured to the unused one next to them.

The first guy flushed an angry scarlet. "You don't know shit, okay? We're only newly turned, okay? But once we drink enough, we'll get stronger."

"Yes, yes, of course you will… So, who 'turned' you?"

"Our—"

"Keikain-san, I presume?" a woman's voice interrupted.

He pivoted to see a uniformed officer with pale lavender, almost white, hair standing at the entrance of the alleyway, a flashlight in one hand and her handgun in the other. He waved at the two assailants. "Sit. Stay. Good boys."

Then, he lifted his hands momentarily to show he wasn't armed— _not in the traditional sense_ , he thought wryly—and said, "That's me. And you…are not human."

Lowering her gun and holstering it, she walked toward him, boots splashing in the puddles forming from the pouring rain. Up close, he could see her coppery-orange eyes with snakelike pupils, reinforcing what he'd already assumed from her youki.

"Not fully, no. None of the beat cops in Ukiyoe Town are. I would've expected you to know this," she replied, one pale eyebrow arching.

Ryūji ground his teeth. _Damn that yokai son of a…_ "No, your boss neglected to mention that little detail. Why are you here?"

She blinked once. Twice. "Because every yokai in a ten- to twenty-block radius felt that reiki? And because it's my job?"

Fuck, that probably meant she'd reported the incident, which meant he'd lost his opportunity to ask the vamp wannabes questions. Fucking pain-in-the-ass yokai!

As if reading his mind, she said, "I haven't called it in yet. I'll have to secure the scene and do so pretty soon, but…figured I'd see if there's anything the human side of TPD doesn't need to be aware of."

A slow smile spread across his face. "Are you suggesting we tamper with a crime scene, Officer…?"

"Shirohebi Rinko. And…" She pitched her voice low. "If it's to protect the Nuragumi, then, yes, that is exactly what I'm suggesting. Why do you think Ukiyoe cops are yokai or hanyō?"

He felt a flash of irritation, at Rikuo for not telling him, as well as this girl for looking at him like he was a simpleton. He motioned toward one of the surveillance cameras he could see. "And those aren't going to present a problem?"

To his surprise, she shook her head. "Only the one at the entrance of the alley works. Actually, most of the security cameras in Ukiyoe Town don't, you know, for privacy's sake and all."

 _Bizarre…_ Ryūji really wanted to ask just how they managed in the event security footage _did_ catch something that could expose the myriad yokai there to the general populace. However, time was of the essence if he was going to accomplish anything before the other police officers arrived. He gave her a quick rundown of what happened, finishing with, "And I was about to ask these two dumbasses a couple questions when you showed up."

Rinko nodded slowly. "From an evidence standpoint, the rain works to our advantage, and if you take the used syringe with you, I can 'take your statement' and we'll just say that the woman they assaulted ran off before you could stop her and before I showed up. Rikuo-sama chased after her, but couldn't catch up with her. Got it?" He nodded, and she continued. "Okay, here's the deal—I'd put them in handcuffs, but honestly, I think the zip ties are good enough." Her eyes went to his split lip, and they lit up. "That from these two…or _Sandaime_?" Before he could answer, she pulled out her cell phone and snapped a couple pictures.

" _Tch_. Don't act like you don't know."

"Riiiight… Well, despite a hit to the face, presumably by one of the perps here"—she coughed lightly, and he scowled at her—"good work on overpowering them, Keikain-san, while your buddy ran after that 'mysterious' girl. I'll go ahead and assume you don't want to press charges, though. Anyhoo…I'm going to call this in, snag some police tape, and start cordoning off the area. It'd be peachy, onmyoji-san, if you'd skedaddle before I got back." She winked at him, one corner of her mouth lifting in a smile.

 _Plausible deniability. She's clever…for a yokai._ "You might want to ask for Detectives Takeda and Itō," Ryūji said. "They're the ones—"

"Working the so-called vampire case, yeah, I know. The Sanba Garasu has kept all the Ukiyoe officers apprised of the situation. We'd like to close the case as much as you." With that, she gave a quick wave, speaking into her radio as she walked off.

He turned his attention back to the two idiots he had tied up. "All right, you two. Couldn't help but notice earlier those fancy matching tattoos you've got. Any particular significance, hmm?"

The one with the tattoo on his wrist, who Ryūji had mentally dubbed Idiot #1, gave an overly exaggerated shrug. "You wanna know, figure it out."

His broken-nosed partner in crime, logically christened Idiot #2, scoffed. "Yeah, man, like we'd just _tell_ you what our gang's tattoo symbolizes."

Idiot #1 rammed his elbow into his friend's side. "Shut up, you dumbass!"

 _A gang, hmm? So my hunch about organized crime was right…_ Though, he mused, no self-respecting yakuza he'd ever encountered, yokai or otherwise, would be as pathetic as these punks. "Don't suppose you had a comrade who died recently? Guy named Kataya Heizō?"

He didn't miss the furtive glances they exchanged before acting apathetic and shaking their heads.

"Of course not. Well, as much fun as this is, I'm about out of time and patience. Clearly you asshats aren't in charge, so who is?"

"Can't say."

"Yeah, our secret."

Ryūji narrowed his eyes, focusing on Idiot #1. "Can't, or won't?"

The guy sneered in response, but a hint of uncertainty crept into his tone. "Both."

Ryūji crossed his arms. "Okay…then, tell me this. Why do you follow them? Why'd they 'turn' you?"

"We don't have to tell you shit. You're not a cop."

" _Tch_. So you'd tell me if I were?"

"No…" one admitted, while the other stayed silent.

Damnit, this was going nowhere fast. He reached inside his cloak and drew out a bamboo bottle, yanking the stopper. The wolflike shikigami flowed out and perched on his shoulder.

Their eyes went wide with fear, and he snickered.

"What's wrong, boys? Never seen a shikigami before? Oh, sorry, did I forget to mention I'm an onmyoji? So I'm well aware that you two are anything _but_ vampires."

"We are too vampires, so you must suck as an onmyoji," Idiot #2 shot back.

Ryūji ignored the gibe, gesturing to his shikigami. "Been a while since this guy ate, and he's _pretty_ hungry… So, how about you tell me about this boss of yours and I won't let Garō here eat you?"

Total bullshit, of course, but they didn't know that.

Both paled, and Idiot #1 swallowed hard. The other maintained a brave front, glaring at Ryūji defiantly.

"No way. We're loyal to her."

The nervous one spoke in a hushed voice, "Dude, what if he's serious? That thing is freaky as fuck."

"We _can't_."

 _Interesting… Dissent among the ranks? And_ her _?_

He started to press the nervous one for more info when he sensed Rinko heading back his way. He swore under his breath, and carefully pocketing the used syringe, he returned his shikigami to its bottle before leaving. He hadn't gotten a ton of usable information out of them, but hopefully those two detective dipshits could. Or allow him more time with them later. One thing was for certain, though—Ryūji knew a con when he saw one. And someone, whoever their leader was, had conned these idiots into believing they were vampires…and somehow compelled them not to speak the truth. _But who? And how?_ More unanswered questions, which irritated the hell out of him.

As he strode toward the Nura clan house, he texted Rikuo, letting him know he was on his way. Ryūji received no reply, not that he expected one, but he did wonder if Kagome was okay. _Contrary to what people might believe, I'm not a_ complete _bastard._

* * *

Ryūji was roughly half a block from the Nuragumi main house when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the display. Detective Takeda.

He didn't exactly _want_ to talk to him, but considering the circumstances, he answered anyway. "Yeah, what?"

"Uh…Keikain-san? We… We've got a problem…"

Ryūji exhaled harshly. "So? It affects me, how?"

"The two suspects you apprehended… Uh…" the detective said hesitantly. "Well…you see, an officer had put them in the back of a police car to take to the station and we're not really sure how, but—"

As the man skated around whatever the issue was, the miniscule remaining patience Ryūji had evaporated. "Just get to the point already, damnit!"

The detective gulped. "Uh, well…they're dead."

* * *

Kagome woke in darkness, with a painful drumming in her head and neck pounding along to the rhythm of her heartbeat.

 _Holy hell, I feel weird… Where am I?_

The sound of voices reached her ears, and as she attempted to sit up, she realized with no small amount of panic that she couldn't move. Her eyes popped open.

Tentacles.

Naraku's tentacles were binding her, holding her immobile.

Beyond where she lay, she could see two figures. One noticed she was awake and spoke. "Kagome? Ah, so nice of you to wake up."

This wasn't possible. Naraku was dead. Kagura was dead.

A dream, it had to be a dream.

She hasn't realized she'd spoken part of her thoughts aloud until Naraku chuckled.

"I assure you, I am very much alive."

She shook her head. "No…" He couldn't be…

But unlike other nightmares she'd had, the tentacles felt real. The injuries to her body felt real.

 _How?_

"Now then…" His expression darkened, incongruent with the playful lilt of his voice. He reached a tentacle toward her, stroking it down her cheek. "I believe, little miko, that you have something that belongs to me…"

Reason fled, instinct taking its place. She'd spent too many years protecting the jewel, too many years guarding against this exact situation to just lie there passively and accept defeat.

"No!"

Her reiki surged within her, crackling and popping along her skin like lightning, the tentacles holding her beginning to char and smoke and turn to ash.

She struggled into an upright position, striking at new tentacles that launched toward her, her powers channeled into her hands, disintegrating them upon impact.

"Get away from me!"

She scooted back until she hit a wall, and then she flung a hand forward, raising a shield to buy herself some time.

Naraku and Kagura's eyes widened, and then her vision blurred.

A spike of pain lanced through her temple, the ache in her neck resuming, and the room spun. The faces of her enemies stretched and morphed, and she blinked rapidly, trying to get her sight to clear. Everything was fuzzy, like seeing through a fog.

Had she been right? Was it just a dream?

Then the fog dissipated, and her heart shattered. She was still in an unfamiliar room, but now, she could see it hadn't been Naraku and Kagura at all. Rikuo and one of his clan members lay motionless on the floor. The sickly sweet scent of scorching meat wafted throughout the room, and there were burns—burns _she_ had caused—covering their bodies.

"What? No!"

She tried to wrestle her reiki under control, but years of denying her powers meant said control was not what it should have been, and they wouldn't be tamed, no matter how hard she tried. And as her anxiety spiked, so did her reiki, a blast that likely went well beyond the radius of the room. Unable to do anything, other than pray she hadn't actually killed anyone, Kagome crumpled, drawing her knees up under her chin, sobbing silently, and hating herself for her helplessness.

* * *

Rikuo's phone buzzed again. Ryūji. He started to read the text, but then Kagome stirred, and his phone slid from his hand, message forgotten, as euphoric relief washed over him. "Kagome?" _Please be awake!_

Her movements were jerky, limbs flailing as she partially freed herself from the duvet. Sitting up, she stared blankly around the room.

But when Kagome's gaze fell on Rikuo and Zen, she scrambled backward on the futon. Her eyes were strangely unfocused, as if she weren't truly seeing _them_.

"No!"

 _The hell?_ "Uh…Kagome? It's me…Rikuo?"

He glanced at Zen, who shrugged.

"Emergence reaction, maybe. Not very common, but it can happen."

Zen's nonchalance grated on his already frayed nerves. "Well, can't you do something?"

"Oh, sure. Because I routinely carry benzodiazepines around with me." Zen glared at him, but in a less sarcastic tone, he added, "Honestly, I can go mix something up, but she'll probably snap out of it before I'm finished."

Kagome continued to stare at them apprehensively as she fumbled further with the blankets, trying to fully untangle herself. Her coordination seemed somewhat impaired, so Rikuo reached toward her, intending to help her or comfort her, or both.

"Easy, blue eyes. You're—"

He never got to finish his explanation.

"Get away from me!" she screamed and slapped his hand away, her hand briefly connecting with the bare flesh of his forearm where the sleeve of his kimono had slid back. At the same time, her reiki flared violently.

His breath left his lungs in a whoosh. This wasn't a surprised jolt of electricity or playful spark. No, this was searing agony, her touch scalding, and Rikuo gritted his teeth, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth where he'd accidentally bitten the inside of his cheek.

Where Kagome's reiki-charged hand had touched Rikuo's arm, a three-inch-long strip of skin was blistered and blackened. Cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck. _Fuck_ , did that hurt.

Thank the gods she hadn't actually grabbed hold of him. He couldn't begin to imagine what _that_ would feel like.

The door to his room slung open with a bang, and Tsurara bolted inside. "Rikuo-sama!"

"Tsurara, stay back. It's…fine," Rikuo said, brushing his kimono sleeve down to hide the burn.

Tsurara's gaze swung to Kagome, who now had her back pressed against the wall, one arm shakily raised in front of her and a pale pink shield shimmering around her. "It's clearly anything but fine, Rikuo-sama!" She glanced over to Zen. "Zen-san, what is wrong with her?"

"She could be hallucinating… It's likely an emergence reaction from whatever they drugged her with." Zen spread his hands in a helpless gesture, eyes darkening with concern as they flicked toward Kagome's reiki. "Even if I had something with me…there's no way in hell I could get close enough."

Rikuo nodded and sucked in a breath, letting it hiss out between his teeth. Then, doing his best to keep his voice level, he murmured softly, "It's me, Kagome. You're safe. It's okay… Please. _Stop_."

She whimpered and then suddenly went limp, her reiki shield winking out of existence. She slid down the wall, curling in on herself into a ball. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, but Rikuo could see tears leaking out the sides.

 _Hang in there, blue eyes. I'm so sorry I can't fix this._

Tsurara took a tentative step closer. "Is she… Is there anything I can do, Rikuo-sama?"

From the open doorway came the sounds of a commotion. Kubinashi's voice, followed by Kejōrō's, could be heard right before they poked their heads in.

" _Sandaime_ , is everything okay?" Kubinashi asked.

The presence of a miko at the Nura main house was enough to have everyone all riled up, but now, with Kagome's powers fluctuating peculiarly and the fact that she was apparently hallucinating… Rikuo took a deep breath. He _should_ go reassure his clan that everything was all right, but he simply wasn't willing to leave Kagome yet. So…

"Tsurara, Kubinashi, I need your help. Kejōrō, you too." Rikuo took a moment to explain the situation before saying, "Go tell them everything's fine… Keep everyone calm, okay?"

When Kubinashi started to object, Kejōrō grabbed both his ponytail and bicep, yanking his head and body out of the room. "You heard Rikuo-sama."

Tsurara hesitated. Rikuo knew she was worried, and likely felt she should stay to protect him, never mind the fact he hadn't needed protecting in a long time. Finally, even though visibly displeased with his order, she nodded, pivoting on her heel, and strode from the room, sliding the door shut behind her.

"Hey… You okay? I _did_ see what happened, you know."

He looked at Zen, who had begun inching forward when Kagome's reiki had diminished. "Yeah… I mean, it hurts like a motherfucker, and burns are… Well…" Rikuo forced back memories of another time he'd dealt with his own charred flesh. His body and his Fear decomposing around him. Was it the reiki burning him or the kusozu? Was he rotting again?

 _No… No._ _Do_ not _go there…not now._

Besides, though the reiki burn was certainly not pleasant, this was _nothing_ like back then.

Zen nodded. "Okay, well, can I…"

"No. My arm can wait. I want to be sure she's okay."

Outside the door, Rikuo could hear the crowd of anxious Nuragumi, each attempting to speak over the other, all asking questions about what was going on and if he and Zen were okay.

"Quiet!" Kubinashi's voice rang out, and the myriad clan members grew silent.

Then Tsurara. "Everything is fine—Rikuo-sama is handling it. According to Zen-san, the miko is waking up, but she's having some kind of reaction to whatever those jerks drugged her with. The best thing that we can do to help Rikuo-sama is to stay calm and let them continue to handle it."

 _Yes, please, gods. Thanks, guys._

Shuffling footsteps seemed to indicate they'd begun to disperse, and he and Zen both caught snippets of conversations as they walked away, their commentary making Zen snicker.

"Is she really a miko? I can't believe he'd bring someone like that here. It's so dangerous!"

"Whaaa? Rikuo-sama has _always_ had dangerous friends—remember the onmyoji girl he was friends with in middle school?"

"Yeah, well, this is different. He wasn't interested in her like _that_."

"He needs to marry a yokai, so the Fourth heir will be strong! I don't know what he's thinking… A human? _And_ a miko? It's completely unorthodox."

"All three generations have been unorthodox—that's the whole reason we follow them."

"My thoughts exactly…" Zen mused quietly.

"Yeah, yeah, who cares if she's a miko? The Nura clan is strong _because_ our leaders are unconventional! Besides, did you see how gorgeous she is?"

 _They're not wrong about that,_ Rikuo thought.

"Hmph. She _is_ pretty… But I'm still not so sure…"

"Rikuo?" Kagome's voice was nearly inaudible. "You're…you're okay?"

Rikuo's attention snapped back to her. "Kagome? Are you…uh…you?" He winced at the stupidity of the question.

"Eh? Am I…me?" She gazed up at him questioningly.

A huge weight lifted off him. Her eyes were no longer clouded and unseeing, and despite her obvious confusion, she was coherent.

Kagome rubbed at her head awkwardly, as if disoriented still, and licked her lips repeatedly. "What…what's going on? Where am I?"

Zen answered for him. "Rikuo brought you back to the clan house so I could treat you. Do you remember what happened?"

She closed her eyes, a crease forming between her eyebrows as she thought. "Not really. I remember leaving the cat sanctuary, a few bits and pieces after, but that's about it… Everything else is fuzzy."

For a moment, she didn't speak, just breathed deeply and carefully. Rikuo mirrored her actions, doing his best to ignore the heat still radiating from the injury on his arm. The stench of burnt flesh filled his nostrils. His body was rotting, rupturing, bloating…

 _No!_ He shook his head. _It's not real. It's not the kusozu. That's in the past._

"Rikuo," Zen said urgently. "I need to look at your arm."

Kagome's eyes flew open. "Your arm? What happened to your arm?"

"Uh…" _How the hell do I answer that?_ She'd already had a bad enough night as it was.

But before he could reply, her fingers were pushing back his sleeve and grasping his wounded forearm, sending a spear of white-hot agony through him as he tried to pull away. "Fuck!"

Zen didn't mince words. "What happened, miko, is you freaked the fuck out and attacked him."

Rikuo groaned. "Godsdamnit, Zen. She didn't _attack_ me—she smacked my hand away and in doing so her reiki—"

Kagome cut him off, gasping, "I did _what_?" She scooted closer and peered at his arm in horror, gagging. To give her credit, it did look pretty awful—a charred, blistered stripe in stark contrast to the unblemished skin surrounding it.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh gods, Rikuo, I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry…"

He didn't even have a chance to respond before he felt her reiki wash over him again. He cringed involuntarily before he realized not only was it _not_ painful, but it was also relieving his pain.

Kagome held her hands above the blackened skin, the same pale pink glow as her shield emanating from them. The energy was pleasantly warm, rather than like liquid fire, and he watched in awe as the wound began to heal.

Zen also stared in mute amazement, too stunned to even so much as cough.

The whole time Kagome babbled her apology as tears streamed down her face, occasionally pressing one hand to her mouth and breathing shallowly. "I _did_ hurt you. Oh gods, I didn't mean to, I swear, I never meant to hurt you. Not _you_. I'm so sorry. I'll fix it, I promise. Please…please forgive me… I'm so sorry…"

"Hey. Shhh…you're overreacting. I'm fine, okay?" Trying to soothe her, Rikuo reached out with his other arm, cupping her face and running his thumb across her cheekbone. "Oi, c'mon, blue eyes. This is tiny! Like this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me…"

As the burn mended, the majority of it gone quickly, he sensed her reiki tapering out and fading. She frowned, looking frustrated. Then, to his surprise, for a split second, he could have sworn he felt her youki flicker and shift. Almost—but not quite—like Fear. _What_ was _that?_

"I'm so sorry, Rikuo. I… I can't heal all of it, maybe because you're part yokai?" Her bottom lip quivered as she stared at the red, irritated-looking spot.

Rikuo bit back a laugh. She was upset about _this_? What remained was barely the size of a fingerprint and not even as uncomfortable as a sunburn. "You kidding me? This is _nothing_ …and that was impressive as hell." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Kagome didn't look convinced, but she released his arm and gave him a shaky smile. Then, she promptly threw up in his lap.

Rikuo sighed.

 _I really hate Mondays._

* * *

 **Author's note:** I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I have mixed feelings about it, probably because I've written it and rewritten it So. Many. Fucking. Times. And at this point, I figured, fuck it. I'm done fighting with it. It's not perfect, but I can't keep making myself nuts trying to attain perfect. Besides, people keep reminding me writing fanfic is supposed to be fun? *snicker*

I really do apologize for the length of time between the last update and now. The thing is, I enjoy writing, but writing doesn't come easily to me. At all. Sometimes it flows better than others and when that happens, it's like…idk…it's like floating on cotton candy and riding a unicorn and all that pretty sparkly fun stuff. But 90% of the time it's like herding cats or pulling teeth or any number of other clichés for difficult and frustrating things. I get horrible writer's block. (I have horrible writer's block currently.) I get writing anxiety. All this to say…I appreciate the hell out of each and every one of my readers. I may have lost some due to the irregularity of my chapters, and that's totally fair. I sincerely wish I could promise you some kind of regular update schedule, but it is what it is. Those of you who've stuck around, thank you.


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